childhood

• cross cultural differences of childhood


  'separate age status' isn't universal

  punch (2013) - Bolivia 5 year olds are expected to take work responsibilities in community and home

  firth (1970) - Tikopia - adult is a choice up to the child - rather than expected
• evaluation of cross cultural studies


  • firth's research may be outdated - childhood may have chnaged since study was done
  • punch - issues with generalisability - based on interviews with families - diffiicult to confirm the lifestyle that she observed in her reaerch reflects all of bolivia
• globalisation of western childhood

  • western notions of childhood are being globalized
  • International agencies have imposed the western norms of childhood
  • e.g. concerns about 'street children' or 'child labour' reflect western norms
• historical differences of childhood


  aires studied historical documents and found - children in the middle ages - childhood didn't exist, they were similar to adults and seen as 'miniature adults' - law often made no distinction

  postman - printing press - altered the definition of what it means to be a child - increased literacy - informing adults of their roles and how they should parent - the notion of childhood was created by literature
• has the position of childhood improved? - yes

  march of progress view

  • Lloyd de mause - childhood has been steadily improving - today children are valued, safe, educated and have more rights - child centered
• has the position of childhood improved? - no

  palmer

  • children now have a toxic childhood - increase in mental health struggles and learning difficulties
  • decline in family stability due to increased divorce
  • parents rely on electronic babysitters to occupy their children
• inequalities amongst children


  • hillman - boys have more freedom than girls who are more likely to do domestic labour
  • woodroffe - childen from unskilled maanual workers are likley to suffer from hyperactivity
  • howard - children in poorer families are more likely to die in infancy and fall behind in school
• inequalities between children and adults


  firestone and holt

  • childhood - oppression, control, dominance of children by adults - take extreme form of abuse
  • 2022 - 50,920 children on protection registers
• age patriarchy


  gittens - adult domination keeps children subordinate - control over time, space, bodies- make children economically dependant by preventing them from working(child labour laws)
• future of childhood

  postman - childhood is disappearing (blurring) e.g. media access, no information hierarchy, no boundaries
• postman evaluation


  opie - still strong difference between adults and children e.g. laws

  jenks - children in postmodernity - changing not disappearing - continues to be a seperate status - still restrictions