Childhood as a Social Construct

Question 1

What is a social construction of childhood?

Answer 1

• The ideas we have about childhood are created by society rather than determined from the biological age of a child

Question 2

What aspects are influenced?

Answer 2

• Length of childhood
• Status of children
• The ‘innocence of children’

Question 3

What is the status of children?

Answer 3

• Their rights and responsibilities
• Their legal protections / restrictions

Question 4

How can childhood be determined

Answer 4

Biologically = ending of puberty
Socially = when society determines someone’s an adult
‘legal entitlement’

Question 5

How do children progress?

Answer 5

Throughout their transition through childhood, adolescence and then adulthood, obtain their legal entitlement as time goes on

Question 6

What are examples of legal entitlements?

Answer 6

• Age of work
• Age of sexual consent
• Age of driving

Question 7

What are ideas associated with childhood?

Answer 7

Dependent, naïve, innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection

Question 8

What is the separation of childhood and adulthood?

Answer 8

• A universal agreement of fundamental differences between children and adults

Question 9

What are examples of seperation?

Answer 9

• Physically and psychologically immature
• Biological and emotional dependent
• Not competent to be held for their actions
• Not biologically mature

Question 10

How does childhood differ?

Answer 10

• The position of childhood is not fixed and is different across time, places and cultures
• Variation in what people in different societies believe about the place of children in society

Question 11

How do children have a high amount of separation?

Answer 11

• Child specific places
• ‘Trusted’ adults
• Children living a relatively sheltered life
• Laws preventing children from adult actions
• Products specifically for children

Question 12

How are children seen in different countries

Answer 12

• Comparative approach
• Child labour
• Child soldiers
• Child marriage
• Religious enslavement

Question 13

What is child labour?

Answer 13

• Some cultures see children as an economic asset and expected to engage in work
• A source of cheap/free labour to boost the income

Question 14

What did Aries say?

Answer 14

• Radical view on the social construct
• The idea of childhood did not exist in the middle ages

Question 15

What evidence did Aries follow?

Answer 15

• Children expected to work at an earlier age
• No distinction of law between adults and children
• High infant mortality rate encouraged indifference and neglect