childhood

Question 1

JANE PILCHER

childhood as a social construct

Answer 1

• Jane Pilcher argues that childhood is a clear and distinct life stage / separated from adulthood
• children have separate lives to adults
• in western culture children are defined as vulnerable and in need of care

Question 2

the differences between childhood and adulthood

Answer 2

LAWS - regulating what children are allowed to do or not to do

DRESS - particularly for younger children

PRODUCTS/SERVICES - toys, entertainment, food, books etc

AGE OF INNOCENCE - vulnerable, need protection

ACTIVITIES - unlike adults, children’s lives consist of leisure and play and are likely to be largely excluded from work

Question 3

GENERAL SOCIOLOGISTS

childhood as a social construct

Answer 3

• sociologists argue that childhood is socially constructed and not biologically determined
• childhood is seen as being created and defined by society
• reinforced by social attitudes, norms and traditions of a particular culture

Question 4

evidence to show that childhood is socially constructed…

Answer 4

• differences in childhood between cultures
• changes in the history of treatment of children throughout history
• the way children experience childhood differently within some culture

Question 5

cross-cultural differences in childhood

RUTH BENEDICT (1934)

Answer 5

argues children in simpler, non industrialised societies are treated differently

• take on responsabilities at an early age (Bolivia)
• less value placed on children obeying authority (Tikopia, Pacific Islands)
• children’s sexual behaviour is viewed differently (e.g Trobriand Islands, Papua, New Guinea)

Question 6

research into other countries

SAMANTHA PUNCH
LOWELL HOLMES

Answer 6

SAMANTHA PUNCH - children caged in rural Bolivia are expected to take on responsibilities in the home and community

LOWELL HOLMES - research of childhood in a Samoan village found that a child was never considered ‘too young’ to do a particular task

Question 7

childhood statistics

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION

Answer 7

• 1 in 7 children in the world work
• 168 million children were involved in child labour in 2012

Question 8

childhood statistics

CHILD SOLDIERS INTERNATIONAL

Answer 8

suggests between 2007 and 2017, 300,000 children were involved in active conflict in more than 30 countries worldwide

Question 9

historical changes in childhood

PHILLIPE ARIES (10th to 13th century)

Answer 9

• PHILLIPE ARIES argues that in the middle ages the ‘idea of childhood did not exist’ after the period of weakening
• no separate stage in life
• children did not have different ‘nature’ or needs from adults
• the same just smaller - mini adults and lived on the same terms as adults:
  - same rights, duties
  and skills
  - same laws
  - same clothing

Question 10

18th to 19th century industrialisation

PHILLIPE ARIES

Answer 10

• PHILLIPE ARIES argues that childhood is a relatively new invention and linked to industrialisation
• work moved outside family agriculture and towards factories
• the need for a numerate and literate workforce lead to compulsory education
• restrictions on child labour put in place
• children now had a separate status
• children became dependent upon adults and a new phase of life called ‘childhood’ emerged

Question 11

what where some 18th to 20th century laws to protect children?

Answer 11

• laws restricting child labour
• 1870 compulsory elementary schooling
• children act was the right to healthcare and an education
• child specialists such as paediatricians
• child protection like the children’s act (1989)
• children’s rights such as the UN convention rights of the child (1989)

Question 12

PHILLIPE ARIES

past treatment of children

Answer 12

in the past, children were not treated as special because:

• high infant mortality rate
• life was hard
• children were an economic asset and had to work to help family survive, therefore given adult responsibilities at a young age

Question 13

social class differences in childhood

Answer 13

• about 25% of all children in the uk live in poverty
• poor children have ill-health and dont achieve as well in education
• may be forced to take part time work to help pay for activities, clothes etc
• rich parents can afford to pay for activities, educational opportunities that could enhance a childs personal and social experiences

Question 14

gender based differences in childhood

Answer 14

• girls are more strictly controlled than boys
• girls are expected to help around the house more than boys

Question 15

ethnicity based differences in childhood

Answer 15

different cultures may have different expectations on children and their behaviour

Question 16

what does NEIL POSTMAN (1994) argue about childhood?

Answer 16

• argues childhood is ‘disappearing at a dazzling speed’
• children are exposes to adult experiences much earlier
• POSTMAN says the decline of the print culture and the rise of tv culture has contributed to this
• in the past children didn’t have access to ‘adult matters’ such as sex, money, violence, illness and death until they could read
• tv has broken down boundary between adulthood and childhood because there are no special skills required to access tv
• internet and globalised mass media has intensified this process

Question 17

what does IONA OPPIE (1993) argue about childhood?

Answer 17

• criticises postman’s view
• argues childhood is not disappearing
• research into children’s games, rhymes and songs suggests that there is a strong evidence of a separate children’s culture
• she thinks postman over-emphasises the influence of tv

Question 18

what does SUE PALMER argue about childhood?

Answer 18

• says children today are experiencing a toxic childhood
• claims rapid technological and cultural changes in the past 25 years have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development
• junk food, computer games, intensive marketing towards children, long hours worked by parents, growing emphasis on testing in education
• uk youth are at risk of obesity, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, early sexual experiences, teenage pregnancies and mental health issues

Question 19

what does CHRISTOPHER JENKS (2005) argue about childhood?

Answer 19

• postmodern view suggests childhood is changing with society, and is actually becoming more important to the family
• argues as relationships with parents become more unstable, adults see their children as a rare source of stability in postmodern society
• parents want to protect their children even more from the insecurity and instability they themselves may feel
• this is reflected in age restriction laws which continue to give children a separate status

Question 20

what is THE MARCH OF PROGRESS view of childhood?

Answer 20

• suggest children’s lives has improved in many ways over the last 100+ years
• children are more valued, better cared for, protected and educated
• children enjoy better health and have more rights than previous generations
• family/society has become more child-centred