The Conflict view of Childhood Flashcards
Which sociologists adhere to the conflict view of childhood?
- Marxists and feminists
Why do conflict sociologists disagree with the functionalist march of progress view?
- they believe it’s based on a false and idealised image which ignores important inequalities that children face
What are the two areas where they believe there are inequalities?
- among children and between adults and children
Name the four inequalities/ differences they believe exist among children
Nationality, gender, ethnicity and social class
Inequalities among children - social class What are poor mothers more likely to have and what is this linked to?
- low birth weight babies which is linked to delayed physical and intellectual development
What are the five areas that they believe demonstrate inequalities between adults and children?
- neglect and abuse
- control over children’s space
- control over children’s time
- control over children’s bodies
- control over children’s access to resources
Name the different types of neglect and abuse
Physical, sexual, emotional
How are children’s movements controlled in industrial societies?
- high regulated and under close surveillance, restricted from certain areas
What have fears about road safety and ‘strange danger’ led to
Closer controls
How are children’s daily routines controlled?
- they’re told when to get up, eat, go to school, play, sleep
How do adults control the speed in which children ‘grow up’?
- they define whether a child is too old or too young for activities, responsibilities and behaviours
How are children’s bodies controlled?
- what they wear
- have their hair
- run, walk etc
- it is taken for granted that they can be hugged, patted, cracked, picked up etc
Why do children remain economically dependent?
- they have limited opportunities to earn money
What do labour laws and compulsory school exclude children from?
- part time, low paid jobs
Who is child benefit paid to?
The parent and not the child
How is pocket money an example of children’s access to resources being limited?
- it is given on parents discretion and there may be restrictions for what it’s spent on
What are the two ways that Hockey and James identify as being ways that children resist the status of child and restrictions that come with being a child?
Acting up and acting down
Why do critics of the child liberationist view argue that some adult control over children’s lives is justified?
- because children cannot make rational decisions and so are unable to safeguard their interests
What do critics of the the child liberationist view point out about children?
- that children are not as powerless as the child liberationists claim
Give an example of an act in 1989 and say what it established
- Children Act: established the principle that children have legal rights to be protected and consulted
Inequalities among children - nationality
How do those of different nationalities have different experiences?
- different experiences of childhood and life chances (can suffer discrimination even within the UK)
Inequalities among children - gender
How can contrasts between the treatment of girls and boys affect how childhood is experienced?
- boys = more likely to have more freedom, come home later alone, go out more frequently
- girls = do more housework (5x more on average), more limited
Inequalities among children - ethnicity
How are girls treated differently within some ethnic communities?
- Asian parents are more likely to be strict on girls
- ideas of ‘izzat’ (family honour) can be restricting for girls
Inequalities among children - social class How much more likely are the children of unskilled workers to suffer from hyperactivity?
- 3x
