Childhood

• 1. Social construction of childhood

  Sociologists see childhood as socially constructed, as something created and defined by our society. It is accpeted in our society that childhood is a special time of life and that children and fundamentally different to adults. The definition of childhood and positio they hold is not fixed but varies.
• Pilcher


  He notes that the idea of childhood is separateness. Childhood is seen as a clear and distinct life stage and children occupy a different status to adults
• Benedict


  He argues that children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their modern western counterparts reinforcing the idea that childhood is a social construction with experiences of childhood varying in relation to time, place and culture

  -this reinforces the idea that childhood is a social construction. It is something created by society rather than simply a biological or predetermined stage
• 2. Historical Role of Children in the UK

  -Aries claimed that in preindustrial society childhood as we know it today did not exist

  -Aries (1962) used paintings to explore childhood in pre-industrial societies and argues that once weaned, children were simply considered 'little adults' and economic asset

  -children were often seen as 'miniature adults' who took part in the same work and play activities a adults

  -high infant mortality rates encouraged indifferences and neglect

  -until mid 19th century child labour was commonly practiced and accepted

  -children also faced the same legal punishments as adults for criminal activity

  -laws were brought in to protect children within mines and factories as many had ben killed

  -middle class attitudes started to change

  -children began to be seen as 'vulnerable', 'innocent' and in need of protection

  -the growing speed of technological change meant of that parents were no longer able to pass on their own skills and knowledge

  -made children more dependent on parents
• Evaluation


  -Aries was criticised for assuming there was no childhood within medieval times, instead the conception/ understanding of childhood was different

  -in addition to this Aries based his conclusion on a small sample of untypical French aristocratic families, so his sample was not representative and the findings cannot be generalised

  -De Mouse also criticise Aries for ignoring abuse towards children and romanticising about the past. In the past, a child's life in a working class family would have been harsh, working in the fields alongside their parents working in a factory
• 3. A Modern Child

  -Pilcher said that a key feature of modern childhood is that it is seen as separate and special

  -its argued that British society has become child-centred and this has ben a key change to the changing role of childhood
• Factors that has led to the growth of childcentredness 1. Legislation

  -the welfare state supports parents by offering universal credit which is received monthly to help with living costs for those who are on low income or are unemployed

  -women are able to receive £275 to £335 a month

  -they also receive an additional amount on top of this for their first and second child- roughly £245 per child

  -in 1880 education became compulsory until age of 10

  -since, this act has been reformed and we have seen the introduction of of raising of school leaving age 2015 (ROSLA) making it compulsory for children to be in education till 18, extending the experience of childhood

  -the state outlines the boundaries of children's behaviour with laws stating the minimum age for activities such as smoking, sexual consent and marriage

  -these laws are primarily a form of protection; from exploitation, child abuse, activities which children may not be 'ready' for
• Evaluation for legislation


  -the laws introduced for children can be somewhat confusing, as they contradict one another. The different ages for consent to do things can make it unclear when childhood ends and adulthood starts- so there is a lack of clarity and ambiguity about this

  -not all laws are designed to protect children for example, if a child is a criminal, there are laws designed to treat them as adults e.g. Thompson and Venables murder of year old James Bulger
• 2. Greater Affluence- Gittens

  -in soc now families are often dual earners (Gatrell) and less families live in poverty. As a result, families have become a unit of consumption (Zaretsky), which Marxists would view as a negative as this benefits capitalism. However, it has had a direct impact on childcentredness

  -higher wages and improved living standards have benefited many children allowing more money to be spent on their education, welfare and interests

  -large businesses have encouraged a specific childhood consumer market

  -Gittens believes that decline in infant mortality and a decline in birth rates after WW2 means that families are more able to invest in the few children they have especially as they are more affluent
• Evaluation of greater affluence

  -Marxist sociologist Zaretsky will argue that advertisers target children to pester their parents into buying them court games, toys, clothes etc reinforcing the concept of Pester Power

  -many w/c o single parent families are not affluent and rely on benefits to survive in 2014 the ONS tells us that 42% of single parent families were living in relative poverty, which is twice the risk faced by two-parent families

  -children's experiences of childhood may differ by income, but this does not mean their parents are not child-centred, nor are they necessarily bad parents
• 3. Science and Medical Knowledge- Donzelot

  -historically there was very little focus on children's health and well-being specifically whereas today there's vast amounts of knowledge within the medical profession, but also shared openly with the public enabling parents and carers to better care for their children

  -Donzelot believes the science of childhood becam a subject of medical knowledge in the 19th century. The nurturing and protection of children are now seen as vital and a central part of family life as seen in the production of parenting books and TV shows, as well as online websites such as Mumsnet

  -parenting skills and early years education is now recognised as an important aspect of children's educational and social development. For example, many Sure Start centres it on free parenting classes and baby classes in support of developing a child emotionally socially and physically
• Evaluation of Science and Medical Knowledge

  -Not all parents attend parenting classes and support service, and those that do, do not always take on board the support provided. Murray highlights how single parent families and mothers lack skills, despite support available to effectively socialise their young sons

  -science doesn't always prevent people, including parents, from harming children. It medical staff can fail to recognise abuse and take the action needed to protect a child, despite their medical knowledge e.g. Baby P, recent case of Lucy Letby who is accused of murdering 5 babies and attempting to muder 10 in total
• Industrialisation


  -many sociologists argue that the process of industrialisation- the shift from agricultural work to factory production as the basis of the economy- is the explanation for many of the changes we have seen to childhood

  -for example, society today, which is heavily centred around industry work, needs an education workforce and so this requires compulsory schooling of the young, hence Raising of School Leaving Age 2015 which led to the leaving school age being raised to 18
• Evaluation of Industrialisation


  -due to their attitudes and values, w/c children will not remain within the school system until the age of 18 instead they will get a job or pursue an apprenticeship

  -during time of indus rev it is argued that it did not become more child-centred but rather children of the indus rev underwent an entirely new form of child labour which they had potentially not experienced in the past
• 4. A Postmodern Child

  1-Blurring or Disappearance of Childhood into Adulthood-Postman=

  -P argues that childhood is disappearing or becoming blurred as the mass media and television have brought adult priorities and concerns into the lives of children

  -research also cites examples of 'social blurring'- in which there is little distinction between adults and children, there is a merging of the taste and style of children and adults with behaviour, language and attitudes becoming indistinguishable

  -also children in contemporary soc are rapidly becoming exposed to a range of experiences that they share with adults. Postman argued w have seen a shift from a print culture to a TV culture

  -P also argues that through incd advertising, on TV or soc networking+ elsewhere have been introduced to materialism+ sold the idea that consumption brings happiness turning children into "egocentric consumers". He believes television blurs the distinction between childhood and adulthood by destroying the info hierarchy
• Evaluation of Postman's view on a Postmodern Child

  -he's been criticised for overstating his case. He assumes everyone has access and that parents are unable to monitor their child's use of media

  -Lee suggested that childhood is becoming more complex and ambiguous. Children are dependent on their parents but in another sense are independent e.g. children are more financially dependent on parents but are seeking more independence through part time jobs

  -Parents are arguably still very controlling of their children- Furedi described parents as "paranoid parents"

  -Brooks (2001) supports this as he says that parents are more obsessed with safety, and ever more concerned with defining boundaries for their kids

  -perhaps it is children that are disappearing and not childhood. Children are becoming a smaller percentage of the whole population due to a decline in birth rates and changes the structure of the family
• 2- Blurring or Disappearance of Childhood into Adulthood- Palmer- TECHNOLOGY

  -according to Palmer due to rapid technological and cultural changes over the last 25 years damaged children's physical, emotional and intellectual development...=

  -technology= the digital age-> Palmer (2007) suggested that parents incingly use modern tech to keep kids occupied and that my be depriving children of a 'proper' childhood with family time and sees the contemporary world as creating a 'toxic child syndrome'

  -BBC News School Reprt found that 90% of 11-16 year olds had helped an adult to access the internet- presents kids as more knowledgeable than adults

  -similarly the time they waste in what she describes as an "electronic village"
• JUNK FOOD AND OBESITY

  -the diet that children eat now heavily consists of junk food which has led to an inc in obesity and health issues for children at an early age

  -according to NHS Digital, obesity among four and five year olds in reception classes rose from 9.9% in 2019-20 to 14.4% in 2020-21

  -similarly obesity rates in both reception-aged adults year 6 school children incd by around 4.5 percentage points between 2019-20 and 2020-21

  -the proportion of kids who were a healthy weight dropped between 2020-21 and 2019-20 among reception kids it fell from 71.3% to 76.1% and among year 6 pupils it fell to 57.8% from 63.4%
• ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH

  -Margo+Dixon show that the UK has the top obesity, self-harm and drug/alcohol abuse. A UNICEF survey in 2007 ranked the UK 21st out of 25 for children's well-being. There is physical neglect or abuse of children by adults

  -children receives over 20,000 calls each year

  -similarly, in 219 the NSPCC reported that 45% of all Childline counselling sessions in 2018/19 related to mental or emotional health and wellbeing

  -this traumatic impact of abuse and neglect incs the likelihood of children developing a range of mental heath issues- both during childhood and in later life. These inc anxiety, depression, eating disorders and PTSD
• Evaluation of Palmer's perspective

  -according to Woodroffe- aspect of toxic childhood relating to mental health+ behavioural issues can differ depending upon a child's class background. Evidence shows that children of unskilled, manual workers are over 3 times more likely to suffer with hyperactivity and four times more likely to experience conduct disorders than children of professionals. This may be because these parents work long hours and so are absent from the home to nurture and socialise their children

  
  

  -could be argued that its not childhood blending into adulthood but rather adults becoming incingly like kids. McDonald argues that the rise of mass culture has led to 'infantine adults" as a result of watching children's TV, reading comics and similar access to social media. Lees supports this by arguing that adult life has become uncertain, with incd divorce and breakdown of relationships, rise in living costs and financial issues
• Topic links- toxic childhood can link too....

  -couples= the changing roles of parents- women spending less time in the home and more time at work

  -couples= Dobash+Dobash- men being abusive towards women

  -changing family pattens- inc in divorce rate

  -demography- the decline in birth rates and decreases in family size

  -ethnicity+ external factors- Palmer= w/c, minority families have shift work