Childhood

• What is social construction 


  When something is created by social processes rather than occurring naturally
• what do interpravists say about social construction 


  argue that official crime statistics are constructed through the interactions of police and suspects and it can differ between different time,and place
• Is childhood considered a social construct

  No
• What are the variations of social construct 


  How long childhood will last for, rights and responsibilities, typical activities and treatment
• why is childhood a special time of life

  regarded as physically and psychologically immature and not ready to run their own lives

  they lack skills and knowledge meaning they need to be socialised
• what does Jane Pilcher say about childhood being a special part of life 


  says the most important feature of the modern idea of childhood is seperativeness and its clear and distinct from adult life
• what does Wagg say about childhood 


  that no single universal childhood experience is the same
• what are the key statistics about child soldiers

  there’s 250,000 child soldiers

  40% are female

  they are recruited by the government forces and rebel groups
• what does punch say about cross cultural differences 


  found that children in Bolivia take on work responsibilities in the home and community from 5 years old
• what does holmes say about cross cultural differences

  he

  studied a samoan village and found that children were taking on responabilities they feel they could handle e.g handling tools
• What are the historical differences- Phillipe Aries 


  Children were little adults who took part in the same work and play activities as

  toys and games specifically for children didn’t exist

  children were regarded as an economic asset
• what does Aries say about the modern cult of childhood 


  Schools began to specialise

  was a growing distinction between children and adult clothing

  Aries argued that we moved from a world that did not see childhood in any way to a society that was obsessed with childhood
• reasons for changes in the position of children

  laws restricting child labour and excluding children from paid work

  children become an economic liability, financial dependant on their parents

  declining family size and lower infant morality rates, have encouraged parents to make greater financial and emotional investment in the fewer children they now have
• what was the march of progress

  Where things over the 20th century improved for children
• what does aries say about childhood and social construction

  that childhood is a type of social construction, he admitted that children are not better of because they have

  greater protection from harm and exploitation

  a more child centred society

  overall higher standard of living
• what is child centredress 


  where the wishes and desires of children are often put before the adults own choices
• why has there been an increase of child centreness

  families have got smaller and there is more individual care

  the working week has decreased and parents have more time to spend with their children

  certain shops target their marketing towards children
• what do Berger and Berger say

  childcentreness is a good thing

  theres a better standard of living from the 19th century

  children growing up and surviving is now the norm

  children are the focus of the family
• what does postman say

  Claims childhood is now being blurred with adulthood which was not a positive thing for children

  1. mass media, easier for children to see the adult
  2. children dress up as adults
  3. the delay of leaving home is increasing
• What do Evan’s and chandler say 


  They studied the effects of peer pressure and how it translates to consumerism

  increasing peer influence leads to pestering parents for material goods, poorer parents may feel pressured
• What do mcrobbie and gerber say

  Research of girls and bedroom culture

  intensifies the trend that girls were withdrawing from family life and forming own self identity through their use of the media
• what do femenists say

  that we live in a patriarchal society which continues to socialise children in a certain way

  certain toys imprint a certain gender pathway that may lead to unhappiness and frustration in the future
• What do mcrobbie and gerber say

  Research of girls and bedroom culture

  Intensifies the trend that girls were withdrawing from family life and forming their own self identity through use of media
• Melanie Philips and her influence on the new right 


  argued children are now worse of because they have more rights

  -nuclear families are badly effect children and childhood

  -feral children
• postmodernists 


  wouldn’t always see that there is a problem

  children have more rights and are treated with better equlaity
• what does morrow say 


  surveyed children and found that most knew where they fitted into modern family and contributed positively
• toxic childhood (palmer)


  believed that childhood is becoming more toxic because of what they are being exposed to the changes e.g. increased pressure on exams
• control over time 


  parents control daily routines e.g. what time they will wake up
• mason and tipper 


  show how children actively create their own definitions of who is family e.g. family friends that are considered aunts