Childhood as a social construct

• Two key sociologists in the modern western notion of childhood:

  • Pilcher
  • Wagg
• Summarise Pilcher:

  • child needs lengthy amount of time for nurturing and socialisation cuz psychologically immature.
  • children occupy separate status from adults.
  • ’Golden Age’ era of innocence, protect from adult harm.
  • Child Labour Act (1973)
• Summarise Wagg:

  • ’childhood is socially constructed‘, no single universal childhood, experienced by all.
  • Evaluation: Arthur Labinjo abused by parents (Contemporary ex).
• Who introduced the idea of cross-cultural differences in childhood:

  • Benedict
• Types of cross-cultural differences:

  • earlier responsibility
  • sexual behaviour
  • less obedience to adult authority
• Earlier responsibility:

  • Punch argues once children turn five have responsibility in home/community without question.
• Sexual behaviour:

  • Malinowski found that adults took attitude of ‘tolerance‘ towards child’s sexual exploitation.
• Less obedience to adult authority:

  • Firth argues doing as you are told by an adult regarded as concession (an option to oblige).
• The globalisation of the western childhood:

  • western nation of childhood is being exported/imposed on the rest of world.
  • e.g. western world laws against child labour.
  • childhood social construct, not universal truth.
• Historical differences in childhood (10-13th century):

  • Aries - ‘idea of childhood‘ didn’t exist, not seen as having different ‘nature’.
  • childhood was short. Entering on some term as adults.
  • children ’mini adults‘ - faced same severe punishments as adults.
• Evaluation of historical differences in childhood:

  • Shorter argues high death rates encouraged class indifference/neglect.
  • e.g. newborns named after recently dead sibling.
• The modern cult of childhood (13th century more):

  • schools specialise purely in education of young reflected influence of church, children as fragile ’creatures of god’.
  • childhood centeredness.
• Evaluation of the modern cult of childhood:

  • Pollock argues middle age had different notion of childhood from today.
• Reasons for changes in childhood position:

  • introduction Of compulsory schooling
  • growth of children’s rights
  • laws and policies specifically for children.
• Introduction to compulsory schooling:

  • allows children to stay in education, so that they aren’t exploited to child labour in WC countries, funded by child labour act (1973).
• Growth of children's rights:

  • Education Reform Act allows disadvantaged backgrounds to get recourses in skl, so they carry on education.