Childhood (Families and Households) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Childhood (Families and Households) Deck (9)
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1
Q

What is a social construct?

A

An idea that has been created and accepted by society

2
Q

Why is childhood considered to be a social construct?

A

There is no universal experience of it - it is whatever your society makes it

3
Q

List three laws that separate childhood from adulthood in the UK

A
  • The law protects children from participation in certain activities e.g. sex, marriage, smoking, drinking alcohol
  • Compulsory state education from 4-18
  • Social services look after children at risk of internal threat like neglect or abuse
4
Q

Summarise Philippe Aries study

A
  • 1962
  • Analysed medieval paintings:
    ~Children over 7 were treated as adults
    ~Wore same clothes and participated in same work and activities
    ~People didn’t generally know their exact age
    ~High infant mortality rate - lots of kids & lots of uncertainty meant less time was invested in making childhood special
    -Criticisms:
    ~Limited evidence
    ~Paintings were normally of wealthy elites so they don’t reflect ordinary experience
5
Q

What did the Factory Act (of 1833) state?

A
  • No child workers under 9 years of age
  • Children of 9-13 years to work no more than nine hours a day
  • Children of 13-18 years to work no more than twelve hours a day
6
Q

What did the Children’s Charter (1889) state?

A
  • The state could now intervene in relations between parents and children
  • Police could enter a home if they thought the child was in danger
  • Police could arrest anyone found ill-treating a child
  • The idea of childhood as a ‘protected’ time in a person’s life was largely established by the late 1800s
7
Q

How do functionalists say the experiences of childhood have changed?

A
  • A process called ‘march of progress’ has happened

- Childhood is now significantly better than it once was

8
Q

Why is childhood now more ‘child-centered’?

A
  • Family sizes have shrunk so parents are able to give more attention to each child
    • Partly as a result of the reduction in infant mortality -
      in the past people would have insurance children as
      they weren’t all expected to reach adulthood
    • Child labour was abolished so children were
      expected to stay in school - became a financial burden
      rather than an asset
      • Eventually became the norm to have smaller
        families
9
Q

According to Cunningham (2006) which three changes to society’s attitudes have led to a more child-centered childhood?

A
  1. Children are viewed as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection
  2. The social worlds of adults and children have been separated: children occupy schools and are excluded from adult spaces like the workplace, pubs, etc
  3. Children are believed to have certain ‘rights’ like the right to be safe