exam revision

• 1. reasons for birth rate declining since 1900

  Children have become an economic liability

  Since the late 19th century, children began to be seen as economic liabilities by being dependent on parents and don't produce anything. Previously, children were productive, working alongside parents and contributing to the family income. This changed because of:

  •   Laws - banned child labour and required children to attend school
  • changes in norms changing how parents believe kids should be raised
• aries 

  • historian
  • said children were ‘little adults’ who took part in the same work activities as adults
  • toys specifically for children didn’t exist 
  • children were an economic asset
• Postman 1983

  • disappearance of childhood
  • says childhood is possible only if children can be separated from the adult world
  • mass media is breaking down boundaries between adults and children
  • signals the end of childhood

  Buckingham - criticises 

  • childhood is far from disappearing
  • this is because, for example, children have become a major economic force
  • taste, preferences, IT, video games have a major effect on what is produced - relates to pester power (zaretsky)
• views on childhood 

  conflict views on childhood

  •   class - poor children are liklier to get illnesses (asthma, eczema) caused by mold meaning missing lessons
  •   Gender - Hillman said boys are allowed out later eg on public transports - Bonke (1999) : found that girls do 5x more homework than boys in single parent households
  • Ethnicity - Bhatti - found that ideas of izzat (family honour) could be a restriction particularly for girl's behaviour - Asian parents likelier to be stricter on giris
  • Nationality - life chances - where you are born impacts your education, career, safety, poverty