Lesson 4 - Has Childhood Improved

Question 1

March of progress view of childhood improvement

Answer 1

-over the past few centuries, children in the west have been steadily improving and today is better than ever
-sociologists such as Aries and shorter hold a ‘march of progress view and argue that today children and valued, educated, protected and better cared for

Question 2

State improvements to protect children

Answer 2

-law restricts child labour and exclude them from work
-compulsory education till 18
-government department ‘department for children, schools and families’ set up in 2007
-social services and police protect children at risk
-child protection and welfare legislation e.g the children act

Question 3

The conflict view

Answer 3

-held by conflict sociologists such as Marxists and feminists
-see society as based on conflict between social groups
-see relationship between groups as one of domination(oppressors) and subordination(oppressed)

Question 4

Inequalities between children and adults

Answer 4

-march of progress writers argue that power by adults is used in positive ways
-Firestone and Holt - critique march of progress writers as they argue that topics they see as positive are just new forms of oppression
-e.g Firestone - protection from paid work is a form of inequality as it makes children forcibly dependant

Question 5

Inequalities among children

Answer 5

-gender differences exist between children - Hillman - boys are more likely to cross or cycle on roads, use buses, and go out unaccompanied after dark

-ethnic differences exist between children - brannen - study of 15/16 year olds found that Asian parents were more likely than other partners to be strict on daughters

-class differences exist between children - poorer mothers likely to have low birth weight babies which is linked to delayed physical and intellectual development