Childhood (families)

Question 1

Pilcher (social construction)

Answer 1

• key feature of childhood is the separateness of children seen as innocent and not competent as opposed to adults

Question 2

Ennew (social construction)

Answer 2

• construction of children in Jamaica as part of the workforce–> last priority is play
• preoccupations of a culture define the way a child sees the world

Question 3

Benedict (social construction)

Answer 3

• children in nonindustrial societies expected to be more responsible at home, to work, less value placed on obeying adults- sexual behaviour viewed differently

Question 4

Aries (historical differences)

Answer 4

• modern western idea of childhood is relatively new as children were previously viewed as ‘mini adults’ with same rights, duties and skills as adults
• used secondary sources eg paintings and documents to show childhood did not exist eg high infantality rates

Question 5

Shorter (historical differences)

Answer 5

• parental attitudes towards children were very different
• eg high death rates encouraged indifferences and reject especially towards infants

Question 6

Postman (historical differences)

Answer 6

• concept of adulthood changing with invention of printing press and the idea of reading competence
• took time to learn to read and so adults could keep secrets- creating information hierarchy
• result of schools specialising in education of young and church as fragile creatures that childhood started to rise

Question 7

Aries (march of progress)

Answer 7

• families are becoming increasingly child centred which means they are better cared for in terms of educational, psychological and medical;
• family sizes have decreased, parents spend more time, child protection from harm laws, welfare state and compulsory education

Question 8

Hillman (conflict)

Answer 8

• boys are allowed more freedom than girls and expected to be independent- going out alone for example

Question 9

Firestone (conflict)

Answer 9

• extensive care and protection of children are just new forms of oppression eg part time work
• disappearance of childhood is positive as best way to raise a child is to ‘lay off’

Question 10

Brannen (conflict)

Answer 10

• Asian parents are more likely to be stricter towards their daughters

Question 11

Howard (conflict)

Answer 11

• poorer children more likely to die in infancy or do badly in school–> suffer longstanding illness

Question 12

Gittins (conflict)

Answer 12

• identified an age patriarchy which keeps children subordinate and dependent
• adult domination against children eg through violence

Question 13

Smart

Answer 13

• children are not merely passive victims but play a role in creating their own childhood
• use of unstructured interviews to ask children abt experiences of divorce (involved in making situations better for everyone)

Question 14

Postman (future)

Answer 14

• childhood is disappearing with media culture failing to distinguish adults and children TV- use same language and introduced to sex younger (passive receiver of media output)
• decrease in information hierarchy and adult authority diminishes

Question 15

Palmer (future)

Answer 15

• rapid technological and culture changed are damaging children’s development ie junk food/ computer games
• described as a toxic childhood

Question 16

Lee (future)

Answer 16

• as childhood is disappearing- they are getting more rights and views are taken into account (custody battles)
• not disappearing but becoming more complex and contradictory eg are consumers but rely on parents money

Question 17

Cunningham (future)

Answer 17

• parental authority undermined by pocket money or part time work- allows children more independence, reducing parental authority

Question 18

Jenks (postmodern future)

Answer 18

• childhood is not disappearing, but changing- postmodern relationships are becoming more unstable (eg more divorce)
• generated more insecurity and so relationship with child becomes more important as a source of adult’s identity and stability