Childhood As A Social Construct Flashcards
(8 cards)
What is the modern western notion of childhood ?
Is a belief about children’s lack of skills , knowledge + experience means they need a lengthy protected period of nurturing + socialisation before they are ready for adult responsibilities + society.
What does Jane Pilcher say about the modern western notion of childhood ?
She states that the most important feature of childhood is separateness - childhood seems s clear as a distinct life stage + children in our society occupy a separate status from adults. This s emphasised through : the laws regulating what children are allowed , required + forbidden to do , how they dress + the products and services targeted towards them
What are crops-cultural differences in childhood ?
Ruth Benedict stated that children in simpler , non-industrial societies re generally treated different from their western counterparts in three ways :
They take responsibility at a younger age , less value is placed on children showing obedience to adults , children’s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently.
Benedict argues in many non-industrial cultures, there’s a much less dividing between the behaviour of children and adults. It comes from the fact that childhood is not a fixed thing universally.
What is the globalisation of western childhood ?
Some sociologists glue that western notions of childhood are being globalised. International humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported no imposed on the rest of the world, western norms of what childhood should be.
What are some historical differences in childhood ?
Phillipe Aries stated hat differences in childhood in different time periods was founded by art.
In the Middle Ages the idea of childhood did not exist - children were not seen as different from adults as their needs were no different
Hat is the idea of the modern cult of childhood ?
According to Aries notions of the idea of childhood began to emerge around the 13th century - schools came to specialise purely to educate the young , here was a growing distinction between adults and children’s clothing , + handbooks on childbearing were released - these changes culminate in the modern idea of childhood - he argues we have moved from a world that did not care for childhood to one that obsesses over it - his work is important as it shows childhod as a social construct
What are some criticisms of Aries ?
Sociologists criticised him for saying childhood didn’t exist in the past - Linda Pollock argues that it is more correct to say n the Middle Ages , society simply had a different notion of childhood compared to todays society
What are the reasons for changes in the position of children ?
Laws restricting children labour and excluding children from paid labour
The introduction of compulsory schooling
Child protection and welfare legislation
He growth of the idea of children’s rights
Declining family size and lower infant mortality
Children’s development became the subject of medical knowledge
Laws and policies that apply strictly to children
