Childhood Flashcards
(44 cards)
1
Q
What is the modern western notion of childhood?
A
- Children are accepted to be different from adults as they are vulnerable and need to be protected and nurtured
2
Q
What did Pilcher argue?
A
- He argues separateness which is that childhood is a clear and distinct life stage where children occupy a different status from adults
- Children are physically and psychologically weaker than adults
- Childhood is a golden age of happiness and innocence which needs to be protected
- Children are therefore the sphere of the family where adults provide and protect them
3
Q
What is evidence to prove separateness?
A
- Laws regulating what children are allowed to do
- Different products, services and clothes for children
4
Q
What do James and Prout argue?
A
- They argue the dominant framework that children are simple and amoral as they only focus on their own needs
- Adults are complex and have the ability to make their own decisions
- Childhood is the primitive stage of development and seen in terms of what they will become later
- They lack the key attributes of being a person
5
Q
Is childhood universal?
A
- Wagg argues childhood is socially constructed and therefore not universal
- Different cultures construct and define the process of childhood differently
- The position of children is not fixed and can change through and within history and culture
6
Q
What is cultural relativity?
A
- Experiences of childhood will differ between cultures and within cultures
7
Q
What did Benedict argue?
A
- Children in non-industrial societies are treated differently as they =
1. Take on responsibility at an early age
2. Less value is placed on children being obedient to adults
3. Children’s sexual behaviour is viewed differently
8
Q
What is the globalisation of western childhood?
A
- The western ideas of childhood has become globalised. Agencies impose western norms of what childhood should be.
- This should be a separate life stage for children as they are innocent and have no economic role
9
Q
What is historical relativity?
A
- Aries believes that experiences of childhood will differ over time
- Childhood did not exist in the 10th-13th century as there was no separate items and they were economic assets
- This continued into the 17th century as they were economic assets and had little difference in culture
- Now, childhood is a special and unique time in life shaped by their innocence, dependence and culture
10
Q
What is the modern cult of childhood?
A
- Aries argued that modern notions of childhood emerged in the 13th century
as schools were specialised for the young as the church saw children as fragile creatures of god - In the 17th century, there was a growing distinction between clothing
- In the 18th century, there was pressure to become a good parent at child rearing with handbooks
- These developments has led to a child centred society which is a modern cult of childhood
11
Q
What is supporting evidence for historical relativity?
A
- In the 19th century, children were treated with indifference due to the high mortality rate
- Historians agree with Aries view of childhood in pre-industrial era
- It provides evidence for how childhood is socially constructed
12
Q
What is criticising evidence for historical relativity?
A
- He used methodology using paintings
- Findings are class specific
- Pollock argues childhood did exist but it was just different
13
Q
Why have these changed to childhood occurred?
A
- Laws restricting child labour
- Compulsory schooling in 1880
- Child protection legislation
- Children’s rights
- Declining family size
- Medical knowledge
- Laws and policies for children
14
Q
Is social construction of childhood applicable to all stages of childhood?
A
- No as toddlers need to be dependent therefore cannot be socially constructed
- However it is more possible as children get older and they can become self reliant
15
Q
What do the March of Progress believe about whether childhood has improved?
A
- Argues that the position of children has been steadily improving and is better than it has ever been
16
Q
How do March of Progress believe childhood has improved?
A
- Legal improvements which place work restrictions and laws banning child labour. Also compulsory education
- Rights of children are central to society
- There are new welfare services for children such as the NHS and social services
- There is a move to child-centred families meaning they have the best interests for the child
17
Q
What do the March of Progress argue about a child centred family?
A
- Parents invest a lot of time, emotion and money in their children
- They also provide greater care and protection, this means parents have high aspirations for their children wanting them to succeed
- Higher living standards and smaller family sizes makes this possible
- Children are the focal point of their family
18
Q
What does Palmer argue against the March of Progress view?
A
- Palmer argues that children are experiencing a toxic childhood which is damaging children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development
- Changes in society such as technological and cultural changes has led to this
- Examples of changes are =
1. Junk food
2. Computer games
3. Long working hours
4. Testing in education - This leads to higher rates of mental illnesses, self-harm, drug abuse, violence, obesity and early sexual experiences
19
Q
What do the conflict view believed about childhood?
A
- Society is based on conflict and inequality between children, and adults.
- Children face different opportunities meaning some children remain unprotected and badly cared for
- Children and adults face inequalities between each other which leads to greater control, dependency and oppression
20
Q
What is the gender inequality between children?
A
- Hilman found that boys are given more freedom than girls such as being unaccompanied
- Bonke found that girls do 5x more domestic labour
21
Q
What is the ethnic inequality between children?
A
- Brannen conducted a study of teenagers who argued that Asian parents were more likely to be strict towards their daughters
- Bhatti found that family honour was a restriction on girl’s behaviour
22
Q
What is the class inequality between children?
A
- Woodroffe found that children of unskilled manual workers are more likely to suffer from conduct disorders such as hyperactivity
- Howard found that children born into poor families are more likely to die in infancy or suffer longstanding illnesses
23
Q
What does the March of Progress view argue about inequalities between adults and children?
A
- They argue that power differences benefits children as adults are able to use their power to benefit and protect children such as laws against child labour
24
Q
What does the conflict view argue about inequalities between adults and children?
A
- Holt argues that many things that are seen as care and protection is new forms of oppression and control
- Firestone believes that protection from paid work is not a benefit but a way to forcibly separate children and make them dependent and powerless meaning they can be subject to adult control
25
What does Gittins argue?
- Argues that age patriarchy describes the inequalities between adults and children
- Age patriarchy is adult domination and child dependency
- Humphrey and Thiara found that many women left their abusive husbands as they feared for their children which is evidence that patriarchy oppresses children too.
26
What did Hockney and James argue?
- Found evidence that children see childhood as oppressive and wanting to escape and be independent
- This can be seen in acting up and acting down
Acting up = Doing adult behaviour such as smoking and drinking
Acting Down = Acting similar to a younger child to resist adult control
27
What can adult control result in?
- Adult control can result in abuse which can be physical, psychological, neglect, emotional and sexual abuse
28
What are the types of control adults have over children?
1. Resources
2. Body
3. Space
4. Time
29
What has the improvements in childhood resulted in?
- Resulted in helicopter parenting which are parents removing any obstacles and therefore solving their problems
- This results in children who are not resilient
30
What is an evaluation of the control of parents over children?
- Adult control is justified as children cannot make rational decisions and therefore protect themselves
- Children as not powerless as they have UN rights of the child
31
What is the new sociology of childhood?
- Mayall argues that both views see children from an adultist viewpoint and that they are socialisation projects for adults to mould and shape
- The new sociology sees children as active agents who play a major role in creating their own childhood.
- We must understand childhood from the POV of the child as each child will have different experiences
32
What does Postman argue about the future of childhood?
- Believed childhood to be disappearing at a dazzling speed due to increased rights, children committing adult crimes, blurred lines of cultures and declining parental authority
- This is due to an information hierarchy
33
What is an information hierarchy?
- Postman argued childhood emerged in the 19th century due to literacy becoming available
- The printed word creates an information hierarchy as adults can read
- Adults have the power to keep knowledge which is taken away from children which became secretive therefore associating childhood with innocence
- However, TV is able to blur the distinction of the information hierarchy as children are able to watch TV
- This leads to a television culture where children are exposed to the same information which leads to innocence being replaced by knowledge
34
What does Opie argue?
- Opie argues childhood is not disappearing due to separate children's culture of programmes and songs
35
What does Postman overexaggerate?
- He over emphasises the influence of TV and ignores other factors which develop childhood
36
What does Jenks argue about the future of childhood?
- Jenks does not believe that childhood is disappearing but believes it is changing due to a postmodern society
- In modern society, people are concerned with the future of children and are controlled by the child-centred family. Family relationships were stable
- In a postmodern society, family life is unstable and parents need children for the insecurity they face
- Parents are over-protective of their children as their relationship is stable
- This reinforces the idea of children needed protection and surveillance
37
What is an evaluation of Jenks?
- Parents see their relationships with children as more important than parents
- Parents are concerned about the risks their children face however this is small and unrepresentative
- Jenks over generalises as he believes that children are in the same position
38
What does Palmer predict about toxic childhood?
- Palmer argues that every year children become more distractible and impulsive therefore less able to learn and enjoy life
- Young people are impacted in multiple ways by excessive screen time
39
What is an evaluation of toxic childhood?
- Palmers study is ethnocentric
- Toxic childhood is not a new phenomena
- More information available has also led to paranoid parenting
39
What is evidence supporting childhood becoming more universal?
- Western notion of childhood is spreading around the world, this can be seen in:
1. Universal rights of the child
2. Campaigns for universal education
3. Charities focus on preventing child labour
4. Globalised TV and media
40
What is a problem of childhood becoming universal?
- This may lead to cultural imperialism which imposes a culture over a less powerful society, this may be the dominant politically powerful nation
41
What does Smart argue?
- Believed that this approach seeks to include the views of the child using unstructured interviews to empower the child to express their thoughts
- Children often lack power in relation to adults so it is favoured by child liberationists
42
What does Mason and Tipper argue?
- Children actively create their own definitions of family which may include people who are not proper family members
43
What does Smart et al argue?
- Children were actively trying to make the situation of divorce better for everyone
