Future Of Childhoods Flashcards
What two points have been made about childhood
The disappearance of childhood
Childhood is changing
Ao1 the disappearance of childhood
Postman argues that childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed
As they are becoming more like adults
An example of this is children being given the same rights as adults
Similarity between adult and children clothing
Children committing adult crimes such as murder
Television blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the information hierarchy
The boundary between adult and child is broken down
And the innocence of childhood is replaced by knowledge
During the middle ages, most people were illiterate so they had no real difference between adults and children because both could not read
Ao3 the disappearance of childhood
Opie researched into children’s game songs etc a
she argues that there is strong evidence of the continued existence of the child’s separate culture
Their study showed that children can do and create their own independent culture separate from adults
Ao1 childhood is changing
Jenks argues that childhood is not disappearing, but it is changing
In postmodern society pace of change speeds up and relationships become unstable
As romantic relationships become more unstable. Relationships with children become a more important source of identity.
As a result, adults become even more fearful of their child security and it becomes even more important to protect them from such dangerous such as child abuse
This lead to greater surveillance and regulation of children’s lives
For this reason, childhood is not disappearing.
Ao3 childhood is changing
There is some evidence that parents see their relationship with their children as more important than that with their partners and that parents are very concerned about the risk they believe that children face
However this over generalise it by assuming that all children are in the same position
