views

• march of progress - says the status of children has improved

  • Aries, Shorter, De Mause (1994) : described childhood in the past as ‘...a nightmare... The further back in history one goes, the lovwer the lever of childcare (children were beaten killed, abandoned, beaten. terrorised and sexually assaulted.’
  • Modern cult of childhood = childhood improved, is described as a cult
• march of progress

  3 things making up the cult:

  • Schooling - previously attended by adults also, became specialised in education only children - reflected the influence of the church which saw children as creatures of God needing discipline to protect from evil.
  • growing distinction in adult's + children's clothing - by 17th century, upperclass boy would be dressed up in an outfit reserved for his own age group, which set him appart from adults
  • child rearing - By the 18th century, handbooks on children child rearing were widely available - a sign of the growing child centredness
• march of progress

  The reasons childhood has improved is:

  •   more laws protecting children - 1989 child protection act, child labour act restrictions, minimum ages for smoking, sex, ect.
  •   compulsary schoois - better education - 64 billion spent on education in 2007 / 8 by government
  •   better healthcare, lower IFR, theories on child development, smaller family sizes
  •   more time + money spent on children (186,000 by 21)
  •   Society becoming child centred
• Conflict view

  Marxists + feminsts

  •   argues against march of progress saying there are very different levels of improvement between social groups
  •   March of progress = based on a false, idealised image of modern childhood that ignores the 2 inequalities:

  1. differences in opportuniry
  2. in between children + adults (controlled, not protected)
• Postmodernism personal life perspective

  • Mayall says were in danger of an 'adultist’ viewpoint - children are passive objects moulded by adults, they’re not simply ‘adults in the making’ - children are active agents playing a role in their own childhood
  • Smart (2011) - the new approach aims to include the children's own views
  • Tipper (2008) - Found children create their own definitions of family - most veiw view pers as part of family
  • Smart et al (2001) - divorce study found children who were passive vicrims, made the situation better for everyone actively