Has the position of children improved

• March of progress view:

  • Aries and Shorter argue that children are more valued and better cared for by law protecting them from child abuse/labour.
  • e.g. In 1990 infant mortality rate was 154 per 1000 babies, today 4 in 1000.
• Child-centred family:

  • argue families are more child centred, now focal point of family. Parents invest financially and emotionally in child.
  • e.g. Media output specifically for children.
  • (stat) time child reaches 21st bday, will have cost parent quarter of a million.
• Toxic childhood:

  • two changes that have lead to toxic childhood is junk food and computer games.
  • damages intellectual development as exposed to violence + corruption, creates irrational thinking.
  • Contemporary ex (James Boulger case).
  • however, Ferguson argues other risk factors can cause aggressive + violent behaviour, e.g. Family life and mental health effect childhood experiences.
• Inequalities between children and adults:

  • Control over space, time, bodies and access to recourses.
• Control over space:

  • children’s movements highly regulated, e.g. shops may display ‘no schoolchildren‘ told to play in some areas and not others.
• Control over time:

  • control children’s daily routine, ‘speed‘ at which they grow up (Child too old or young for certain activities, responsibilities and behaviours).
• Control over bodies:

  • how they sit, walk and run, what they where and whether or not have ears pierced.
• Control over access to resources:

  • children only have limited opportunities to earn money.
  • compulsory schooling excludes them from employment, state pays child benefits, goes to parents not child.
• Inequalities among children:

  • gender differences
  • ethical differences
  • social class differences
• Gender differences:

  • e.g. boys are more likely to cross or cycle on roads and go out after dark unaccompanied.
  • Bonke says girls for more domestic labour than boys especially in lone parent families.
• Ethical differences:

  • Brannen’s found Asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their daughters.
• Social class differences:

  • Poor mothers likely to have low-birth weight babies, delayed physical + intellectual development.
• Age patriarchy:

  • Gittins describe inequalities between adult and child, adult dominant and child dependency.
  • Thiara says 200 women left abusive partner fearing child's life.
• Evaluation on Age patriarchy:

  • Critics argue child Liberationists view that some adults control over children lives is justified, cannot make rational decisions.
  • not as powerless are liberationists claim.
• New sociology of childhood:

  • Mayall approach doesn’t see children as simply ‘adults in the making’ but children are active agents in major role of creating own childhoods.