what is the future of childhood? Flashcards
evaluation of jenks
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
the disappearance of childhood and the informational hierarchy
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
has the position of childhood changed?
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
criticisms of the march of progress view
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
criticisms of the march of progress view:
conflict sociologists
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
gender inequalities
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
ethnic inequalities
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
social class inequalities
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
inequalities between adults and children
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’
neglect and abuse
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
controls over children’s space
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
controls over children’s time
adults in modern society control children’s daily routines
control the speed at which children grow up
controls over children’s bodies
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
controls over children’s access to resources
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
diana gittins (1998)
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
childhood as oppression
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
new sociology of childhood
part 1
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
new sociology of childhood
part 2
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
new sociology of childhood
part 3
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
new sociology of childhood
part 4
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
