what is the future of childhood? Flashcards

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1
Q

evaluation of jenks

A

evidence that parents see their relationships with the children as more important than their partners , and that parents are very concerned about the risk of children, comes from very small, unrepresentative studies

over generalising - despite greater diversity of family and childhood patterns found today, he implies that all children are in the same position

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2
Q

the disappearance of childhood and the informational hierarchy

A

postman argues that in contemporary society, new technologies blur the separation

verbalisation of adult knowledge - sex, death, money and violence

children are much more able to access the adult world, as a result, childhood is disappearing

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3
Q

has the position of childhood changed?

A

the march of progress view argues that the position of children in western societies has been steadily improving and is better than it’s ever been

aries and shorter hold a march of progress view:
- children today are more valued, cared for, protected and educated

march of progress sociologists argue that the family has become child centred, so society as a whole is designed specifically for children

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4
Q

criticisms of the march of progress view

A

sue palmer (2007) - uk children experience a toxic childhood

25 years of rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development

changes include junk food, computer games, intensive marketing to children, parents working long hours and growing emphasis on testing in education

uk youth have above average rates in international league tables for obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, early sexual experience and teenage pregnancies

unicef (2013) - ranked uk 16th for children’s wellbeing

unicef (2020) - ranked uk 27th out of a list of high income countries

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5
Q

criticisms of the march of progress view:

conflict sociologists

A

march of progress view is based on a false and idealised image which ignores important inequalities

inequalities among children, in terms of risks and opportunities they face, since many today remain unprotected and badly cared for

inequalities between adults and children are greater than ever - children today experience greater control, oppression and dependency, no greater care and protection

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6
Q

gender inequalities

A

hillman (1993) - boys are more likely to be allowed to cycle on roads, use buses, and go out in the dark alone

bonke (1999) - girls do more domestic labour, especially in lone parent families, where they do five times more housework than boys

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7
Q

ethnic inequalities

A

brannen (1994) - asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their children

bhatti (1999) - the ideas of izzat (family honour) could be a restriction, particularly on the behaviour of girls

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8
Q

social class inequalities

A

poor mothers are more likely to have a low birth rate baby, linked to delayed physical and intellectual development

children of unskilled manual workers are over 3 times more likely to suffer from hyperactivity and 4 times more likely to experience conduct disorders, than children of professionals

children born into poor families are more likely to die in infancy, fall behind at school and to be placed on the child protection register

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9
Q

inequalities between adults and children

A

march of progress writers argue that adults use their power to benefit and protect children

firestone (1979) and holt (1974) argue that these developments which march of progress writers see as care and protection are new forms of oppression and control

firestone argues that ‘protection’ from paid work is a form of inequality, by safeguarding children and making them powerless, dependent and subject to control

see the need to free children from adult control - ‘child liberationism’

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10
Q

neglect and abuse

A

2013 - 43,000 children of child protection plans and at a risk of significant harm

childline receives 20,000 calls from children every year about physical of sexual abuse

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11
Q

controls over children’s space

A

children’s movement in industrial societies highly regulated

road safety fears and stranger danger - primary school children travelling home from school alone:
- 86% in 1971
- 25% in 2010

cunningham (2007) - ‘home habitat’ of 8 year olds has shrunk by 1/9th of the area than 25 years earlier

katz (2004) - sudanese children freely roam their village and several km

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12
Q

controls over children’s time

A

adults in modern society control children’s daily routines

control the speed at which children grow up

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13
Q

controls over children’s bodies

A

exercise enormous control over children’s bodies

in certain situations, it is taken for granted that children’s bodies can be touched

adults restrict ways in which children touch their bodies

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14
Q

controls over children’s access to resources

A

in industrial societies, children have limited access to opportunities to earn money, so remain dependent on adults

labour laws and compulsory schooling, only access low paid part time jobs

pocket money conditional on good behaviour, spending restrictions

katz found that sudanese children engaged in productive work from the age of 3 or 4

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15
Q

diana gittins (1998)

A

age patriarchy

asserted in forms of violence

humpreys and thiara (2002) - 1 in 4 women left their partners since they feared for their child’s life

the patriarchy oppresses women and children

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16
Q

childhood as oppression

A

strategies of resistance to oppressive childhood

hockney and james (1993) - most children want to escape the status of modern childhood
- acting up
- acting down

critics of the child liberationist views argue that some adult control is justified since children can’t make rational decisions

not as powerless as child liberationists claim - 1989 child act and united nations convention on the rights of the child establish the principle that children have legal rights to be protected and consulted

17
Q

new sociology of childhood

part 1

A

views so far on childhood see it as socially constructed - shaped by social processes

mayall (2004) - this is an ‘adultist’ viewpoint, seeing children as socialisation projects

the new sociology of childhood doesn’t see childhood as simply adults in the making

18
Q

new sociology of childhood

part 2

A

children are active agents in playing a major part in creating their own childhood, rather than the passive puppets that other perspectives see them as

smart (2011) - in order to understand childhood, children need to be included in the study of childhood

mayall - sociologists need to focus on the present tense of childhood from a child’s perspective

19
Q

new sociology of childhood

part 3

A

mason and tipper (2008) - children actively create their own definitions of who family is

smart et al (2001) - study of divorce found that children were actively involved in trying to make the situation better for everyone

these studies’ use of unstructured, informal interviews empowers children and allows researches to see them from their roping of view

20
Q

new sociology of childhood

part 4

A

sociologists are enabled to explore the multiple diverse childhoods that exist within a single society

smart - there a disabled childhoods ,chinese childhoods , girls’ childhood, poor childhoods and so on

new sociology of childhood allows children to express themselves, it also draws attention to their lack of power in relation to adults ; so is an approach favoured by child liberationists