childhood

Question 1

Toxic childhood

Answer 1

Sue Palmer (2006) -outlines six main ways in which childhood has become increasingly toxic:

• decline of outdoor play
• commercialisation of childhood
• schoolification’ of early childhood
• decline of listening, language and communication skills – because of shortened attention spans.
• Screen saturation
• Tests, targets and education

Question 2

Childhood in the past

Answer 2

Phillipe Aires argues in the Middle Ages (10th-13th century) ‘the idea of childhood did not exist’

• Children were expected to work at a much earlier age.
• The law often made no distinction between children and adults.
• art from the period often depict children as small adults – wear the same clothes + work/play together

Edward Shorter (1975) argues parental attitudes to children in the Middle ages were different

• High infant mortality rates encouraged indifference and neglect, especially towards infants.
• Parents often neglected to give new born babies names – referring to them as ‘it’ and it was not uncommon to eventually give a new baby a name of a dead sibling.

Question 3

Modern, western concept of childhood

Answer 3

Sociologists argue ‘childhood is socially constructed’- means the ideas we have about childhood are created by society, rather than being determined by a biological age

aspects of childhood which are influenced by society include:
* length of childhood and the moment a child becomes an adult
* status of children in society – rights and responsibilities, legal protections/restrictions

Other cultures see children as an ‘economic asset’ and expected to engage in paid work.
* 22% of children aged 5 to 17 in the least developed countries are involved in some sort of labour.
* Many adults in those countries don’t believe children should be in full time education until age 16 like in Western European Countries.

Question 4

Age patriachy

Answer 4

Diana Gittins (1998) uses the term ‘Age Patriarchy’ to describe inequalities between adults and children. Age Patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency.

• reasoruces: (Shulamith Firestone)14-16 yr olds may want to leave school and go into full time work. 16-18 olds may not want to stay in education. Yet minimum wage for under 18 year olds is less than £6 an hour forcing them to rely on parents
• Control over children’s space: In 1971 76% of primary school children travelled home alone compared to only 25% by 2013.

Question 5

Childhood in post modernity (Jenks)

Answer 5

Jenks (2005) suggests increased concerns among parents about the impacts technologies such as the internet have led to parents thinking childhood needs protectoin more than ever

• as evidenced in the increase Paranoid Parenting and social policies surrounding safeguarding.
• legal age of marriage was recently raised from 16 to 18, which moves the boundary of adulthood later.

Question 6

Dissapearing childhood

Answer 6

Postman argues that childhhod arose by the division in skill created by the printing press/literacy. New technologies like social media and television allow access to the adult world thus childhood is dissapearing.

e.g
* growth of ‘Kidults’ adults becoming more like children. Such as younger adults spending longer living with their parents.
* ‘Learner Voice’, more of an expectation that adult teachers will listen to students and consider their needs. Children even used on interview panels for new teachers in some schools.