childhood as a social construct

• What is meant by ‘childhood as a social construct’

  Childhood is created and defined by society; meaning it is not fixed but, instead differs between different times, places and cultures
• What is the modern western notion of childhood

  children are argued as physically and psychologically immature and not yet competent enough to run their own lives
• What does Pilcher note as the most important feature of the modern idea of childhood?

  Separateness : Childhood is seen as a clear and distinct life stage, for example; children are free to dress however they like without judgement from society.
• What is meant by childhood as a 'golden age'

  Pilcher argues that childhood is an age of happiness and innocence meaning their lives are lived largely within the sphere of the home to protect them from the outside world
• What does Wagg note about childhood?

  there is no single universal childhood
• Western notion of childhood

  children are defined as vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves
• What does Benedict note about childhood

  children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their modern Western counterparts
• Evidence for children taking responsibility at an early age

  Punch's study of children in Bolivia showed that once they reached the age of around 5 they are made to do work within the home and the community
• Evidence that less value is placed on children in other parts of the world

  Firth found that among the Tikopia of the western Pacific, doing as you are told by a grown-up is regarded as a concession to be granted by the child not a right to be expected by the adult
• Evidence that children's sexual behavior is often viewed differently in other parts of the world

  Malinowski found that in the Trobriand islands, adults took an attitude of tolerance and amused interest towards children's sexual behaviour
• What is the globalisation of western childhood

  International humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported and imposed Western norms of what childhood should be and imposed Western norms of what childhood should be
• What does Aries note about children in the middle ages

  He argues that in the middle ages the idea of childhood didn't exist. Children were essentially viewed as 'mini adults' with the same rights, duties and skills as adults
• What do paintings from the middle ages show?

  Aries argues that these paintings do not depict children on a smaller scale - thus showing that they were not viewed differently to adults
• What does Shorter argue about high death rates in the middle ages

  He argues that high death rates encouraged indifference and neglect. For example; it was common for parents to name their newborn after a recently passed sibling
• What does Pollack argue against aries

  She states that it is more correct to say that in the middle ages, society simply had a different notion of childhood from today's - childhood did exist
• What was available by the 18th century that changed childhood?

  Handbooks on childbearing were widely available leading to a growing child-centeredness of family life
• Reasons for change in childhood

  • laws restricting child labour and excluding them from paid work
  • Introduction of compulsory schooling in 1800
  • declining family size and infant mortality rates
• What does Donzelot note?

  Theories of child development that began to appear in the 19th century stressed that children need supervision and protection
• Why did industrialization change childhood?

  modern industry needs an educated workforce and this requires compulsory schooling of the young