Topic 1 - Childhood Flashcards
Childhood as a ‘social construct’
Childhood is shaped and defined by society, rather than being a fixed, ‘natural’ process.
Modern Western Childhood
Pilcher (1966)
Separateness - childhood is a distinct life stage separate from adulthood
Golden Age - a time of happiness and innocence
Quarantined - children are vulnerable and protected from the dangers of the adult world
Innocence - children are pure, guileless and naive
Wagg (1992)
AO3 of Pilcher
Childhood as a separate age status is not found in all societies. It is a social construct and differs from time and place.
Suggest 3 differences between childhood in the western world compared to third world countries
Benedict (1934) - Childhood is simpler. Non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their modern western counterparts in a number of ways:
Study: Punch (2001) - Responsibility. Children are responsible at a younger age. In Nepal, 1.6m children work, mostly girls under 14.
Study: Forth (1970) - Obedience. Children are treated like adults more likely to make their own decisions. More reluctance to obey adults.
Study: Malinowski (1957) - Sexual Behaviour. In southern parts of Malawi, girls are made to have sex when they hit puberty. It’s common in Bangladesh for girls under 18 to be married off, as they don’t bring money in.
Outline Aries view on the history of childhood
In pre-industrial society, children were seen as mini adults, getting his evidence from art from the time. In modern, industrial society, the modern cult of childhood starts to form. Better sanitation and living standards, leads to child centredness. In the 20th century, children went from economic assets to liabilities. They are emotional assets. Child-centredness, market for children forms, lead to pester power.
Explain 4 reasons so show how the position of children has changed since industrialisation
Laws restricting child labour and excluding children from work - children become economic liabilities by becoming financially dependant on their families, rather than being an economic asset.
Introduction of compulsory schooling - In 1880, children, especially of the poor, were provided compulsory education.The rich always had access with their money. Length of dependency for children lasts till 18 due to full-time education.
Declining family size and lower IMR - This has encouraged parents to make greater financial and emotional investments in the fewer children that they have now.
Suggest 3 reasons why childhood is better than earlier years (march of progress view).
Children have more rights than previous generations.
They are more valued by parents.
The family has become more child-centred, they’re much smaller so children are no longer ‘seen and not heard’.
Suggest 3 reasons to suggest childhood has not improved
Palmer (2006) - Toxic childhood. Margo and Dixon (2006) - UK near the top of international league tables for obesity, self-harm, drug and alcohol abuse. UNICEF Survey (2007) - UK ranked 21/25 for children’s well being.
Outline the child liberationist view with use of 3 examples
Child Liberationists see the need to free children from adult control, through a number of forms:
Control over space - kid free zones, ‘tidy your room’
Control over time - curfew, bedtime, ROSLA
Control over body - diet, uniforms, abuse, tattoos/piercings, hairstyles
Provide a social class analysis about the position of children today
Poorer mothers are more likely to have babies of low birth weight, which causes physical and intellectual development delays. Poverty is also linked with hyperactivity disorders, illness and related time of school, affecting educational performance.
Define what is meant by the term ‘age patriarchy’
Gittins (1998) uses the term to describe the inequalities between adults and children - where adults dominate children. This power may assert itself through violence.
Outline the ‘new sociology of childhood’
Mayall (2004) says the views of childhood being socially constructed are at risk of being ‘adultist’ - seeing children as mere ‘socialisation projects’ for adults. Ignore the part children play in their own childhood. New sociology of childhood sees children as active agents who play a major part in creating their own childhoods, rather than seeing them as ‘adults in the making’.
Why is childhood disappearing according to Postman?
Postman (1994) - Due to rise and fall of print culture and its replacement by television culture. TV destroys information hierarchy. Unlike printed words, TV doesn’t require special skills to access it. This makes information available to both children and adults. As of this, the innocence of childhood is replaced by worldliness and cynicism.
Opie
Opie (1993) - AO3 of Postman
Argues childhood isn’t disappearing. Her study found strong evidence of a separate children’s culture
What is meant by the term ‘toxic childhood’. Provide 3 characteristics.
Palmer (2006) - Children are being harmed by a combination of technological and social changes such as increasingly screen based lifestyles, a hyper-competitive education system and the decline of outdoor play.
