Childhood

• What does Aries argue about childhood ?

  Argues that in the Middle Ages 'the idea of childhood did not exist'. Children were not seen as having different 'nature' or needs from adults - at least, not once they had passed the stage of physical dependency during infancy.
• What are some CRITICISMS of ARIES?

  Some sociologists have criticised Aries for arguing that childhood did not exist in the past.

  Pullock argues that it is more correct to say that in the Middle Ages, society simply had a different notion of children from today's.
• Christopher Jenks (2005)

  Jenks agrees with Aries that childhood was a creation of modern society. For Jenks, modern society was concerned with 'fruturity' and childhood was seen as preparation for the individual to become a productive adult in the future.

  Jenks argues that childhood is changing as society moves from modernity to postmodernity. In modern society, adults' relationships were more stable, but in postmodern society, the pace of change speeds up and relationships become more unstable. For example, divorce becomes much more common.
• What does Postman argue about childhood ?

  Argues that childhood is disappearing. The cause of the emergence of childhood, and now its disappearance now lies in the rise and fall of the print culture and its replacement by television culture.
• What does Opie (1993)argue about childhood?

  Unlike Postman, Opie argues that childhood is not disappearing. Based on a lifetime of research into children's unsupervised games, rhymes, and songs, she argues that there is strong evidence of the continued existence of a separate children's culture over many years.
• CRITISIMS OF JENKS (2005)

  Evidence both for and against Jenks is limited. 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 risks they believe their children face. However, the evidence comes from small, unrepresentative studies.

  Jenks is guilty of over -generalising. Despite the greater diversity of family and childhood patterns found today (such as lone - parent families, stepfamilies etc), he makes sweeping statement that imply all children are in the same position.
• What does Gittens mean by age patriarchy on childhood ?

  Uses the term 'age patriarchy' to describe inequalities between adults and children. Gittens argues that there is also an age patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency. As Gittens points out, the term 'family' referred originally to the power of the male head over all other members of the household, including children and servants as well as women.
• What did Hillman (1993) and Bonke (1999)find about inequalities among children?

  • According to Hillman (1993), boys are more likely to be allowed to cross or cycle on roads, use buses, and go out unaccompanied.
  • Bonke (1999) found that girls do more domestic labour - especially in lone - parent families, where they do five times more housework than boys.
• What does Palmer argue about technology?

  She argues that rapid technological and cultural changes in the past 25 years have damaged children's physical, emotional and intellectual development. i.e junk food and computer games. What she calls a 'toxic childhood'
• What is the March of progress view on the position of children?

  • The March of progress view is that the position of children has improved dramatically in a relatively short period of time.
  • However conflict sociologists criticise them on the grounds that : There are inequalities among children in terms of the opportunities and risks they face I.e many today remain unprotected and badly cared for
  • Children today experience greater control, oppression and dependency, not greater care and protection
• STATS ON NEGLECT AND ABUSE

  The charity Childline receives over 20,000 calls a year from children saying they have been sexually or physically abused.
• What did Humphreys and Thiara find in their study? And who does it support?

  A quarter of the 200 women in their study left their abusing partner because they feared for their children’s lives. Such findings support Gitten’s view that patriarchy oppresses children as well as women.
• What does the 1989 Children Act establish ?

  The 1989 Children Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child establish the principle that children have legal rights to be protected and consulted
• What are the strategies Hockey and James describe which causes children to experience an oppressive childhood ?


  Describe “acting up” - acting like adults i.e drinking, swearing

  Describe “acting down” - behaving in ways expected of younger I.e insisting on being carried
• What is childhood?

  A social construction and varies between times, places and groups. Most sociologists see our idea of childhood as a fairly recent one, the result of industrialisation and other social change. Modern society constructs childhood as a time of vulnerability, innocence and segregation from the adult world
• What do Child liberationists argue ?

  That children in modern western society are victims of age patriarchy and are subject to adult control. The new sociology of childhood argues that we must take the perspective of the child