Reasons for changes in the position of children Flashcards
Loss of state teen child labour and excluding children from paid work
From being Economic assets who could earn a wage children became an economic liability financially dependent on their parents
Introduction of compulsory schooling 1880
This had a similar effect especially for children of the poor middle and upper-class children were already receiving education the rating of the school leaving age of extended this period of dependency
Child protection and welfare legislation
1889 prevention of cruelty to children act and exactly a century later the 1989 children act made the welfare of the child the fundamental principle underpinning the work of agencies such as social services
Growth of the idea of children’s rights
The children act defines parents having responsibilities rather than rights in relationship to children whilst the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child 1989 Leysdown basic rights such as entitlement to healthcare and education protection from abuse and the right to participate in decisions that affect them such as custody cases
Declining family size and lower infant mortality rate
This is encourage parents to make a greater financial and emotional investment in the fewer children that they now have
Children’s development becomes the subject of medical knowledge
Jacqueline Donzelot 1977 observes how theories of child development that began to appear from the 19 century stressed that children need supervision and protection
Laws and policies that apply specifically to children
Such as minimum age is for wide range of activities from sex to smoking have reinforced the idea that children are different from adults and so different rules must be applied to their behaviour
