Topic 1 - Childhood

Question 1

Why is modern childhood the ‘golden age’ of childhood

Answer 1

Spererateness (childhood is clear and distinct childhood is a stage of life)

Innocence (children are protected)

Children are excluded from paid work promoting their happiness

Products are catered towards children specifically (toys and clothes)

Question 2

Who created the term ‘golden age of childhood’

Answer 2

Pilcher

Question 3

Give a theorist who agrees with the social construct argument.

Answer 3

Benedict argues that children in non-industrial societies are treated differently then their western counterparts as:

they take responsibility sooner, less value is placed on their obedience to adults and children’s sexual behaviour is viewed differently.

Question 4

Children in non-western cultures take responsibility earlier - give a supporting theorist.

Answer 4

Punch - found in rural Bolivia children worked from the age of 5

Question 5

Children in non-western cultures don’t need to show obedience to adults - give a supporting theorist.

Answer 5

Firth - found in the Tikopia tribe doing as your told by parents is a choice

Question 6

in non-western cultures children’s sexual behaviour is viewed differently - give a supporting theorist.

Answer 6

Malinowski - found amongst the Trobriand Islanders adults are more tolerant of children’s sexual exploration

Question 7

What are the 2 main pieces of evidence for the social construct argument.

Answer 7

Cross-cultural differences

Historical differences

Question 8

Give a theorist for the social construct argument

Answer 8

Aries - investigated works of art from different time periods observing how children are represented.

Question 9

In terms of Aries finding how we’re children represented in the middle ages.

Answer 9

The idea of childhood did not exist they were seen as no different from adults when they passed the stage of physical dependency

Question 10

In terms of Aries finding how we’re children represented in the 13th century up to the 19th century

Answer 10

Where the modern views of childhood started to emerge.

• Schools started to specialise in educating the young
• the church saw children as ‘creatures of god’
• clear distinction between children’s clothing and that of adults

Question 11

In terms of Aries finding how we’re children represented in the 20th century and 21st

Answer 11

According to Aries we are now in a world obsessed with childhood

Question 12

Give a theorist criticising Aries

Answer 12

Pollock - argues childhood excisted in the middle ages but the notion of childhood was different.

Question 13

Give 3 examples why childhood has changed

Answer 13

• laws restricting child labour
• compulsory schooling since 1880
• the growth of the idea of children’s rights

Question 14

Give 2 key factors in the bringing about of the modern idea of childhood

Answer 14

Industrialisation - increased living standards and more people are required to be educated to work

Globalisation - the influence of the Internet and humanitarian aid has imposed the idea of childhood on the rest of the world

Question 15

Name one view who agrees and one who disagrees with the statement ‘the position of children has improved’

Answer 15

Agree - March of progress

Disagree - conflict view

Question 16

What do the march of progress View argue about childhood

Answer 16

The quality of childhood has greatly improved as:

-Family sizes are much smaller
-Parents spend on average 227,000 on their child
-children are protected from harm by laws

Question 17

What do the conflict view argue about childhood.

Answer 17

They feel society is based on conflict between social identities such as class and gender.

They argue there are inequalities between children and other children

And inequalities between adults and children

Question 18

Give an ethical and gender reason why we are not in the ‘golden age’ of childhood (use theorists)

Answer 18

Bonke - girls do more domestic labour than boys

Brannen - asian parents were more likely to be strict to their daughters

Question 19

Give a pair of theorists supporting that there are inequalities between children and adults

Answer 19

Firestone and Holt - argue many things parents do that MOP writers see as care are actually a form of control

Question 20

What 5 forms to child liberationism think parental control takes

Answer 20

1. Neglect and abuse including physical, sexual and mental abuse
2. Control over children’s space children are only allowed to go in certain areas
3. Control over children’s time - adults control children’s routines what they can and can’t do
4. Control of children’s bodies - adults control if children are allowed to sit, walk, run what they’re allowed to wear
5. Control over children’s access to resources - children have limited opportunities to earn money

Question 21

Who came up with age patriarchy?

Answer 21

Gittins - the dominance of children by parents and the farther.

Question 22

In response to age patriarchy what did children do? (Theorist)

Answer 22

Hockey and James - found children

acted up - acted like adults smoking etc

acted down - behaved in ways expected by younger children like baby talk

Question 23

What is the future of childhood? (Theorist)

Answer 23

postman childhood is disappearing, shown by trends towards children becoming adults

• children’s clothing is like adults
• laws are similar to adults
• Children commit adult crimes like murder

Question 24

Why is childhood disappearing according to Postman

Answer 24

Loss of the information hierarchy through media

Question 25

AO3 for Postman’s view childhood is disappearing

Answer 25

Opie - a separate childhood culture still exists. Unsupervised childhood games still exist.

Question 26

Who doesn’t believe childhood is disappearing?

Answer 26

Jenks agrees with Aries that childhood was created in modern society.

He thinks childhood is changing not disappearing and that due to unstable family structure in postmodern society parents are more protective over their children.

Question 27

Explain the new sociology of childhood (theorist)

Answer 27

They see children not as ‘passive puppets’ but active agents who play a major role in their own childhood.

Smart et al found that children are actively involved in trying to make the situation better in the case of divorce.