childhood

• modern western notion of childhood

  Pilcher 1995 - most important feature of childhood is separateness, childhood seen as a clear and distinct life stage, children different from adults. eg through laws regulating what children can and cannot do, differences in dress codes, toys, foods books etc.
• Stepehn Wagg 1992


  childhood isnt a universal experience, its not natural western culture defines childhood as vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves, but other cultures dont see a great difference between children and adults.
• cross cultural differences in childhood

  Benedict 1934 - those in non industrial societies treated differently from their western counterparts

  Take respons from an early age - Punch 2001 in rural bolivia found that once kids r 5, they do housework

  Less value placed on kids showing obedience to adult authority - Firth 1970 found that among Tikopia of westPacf doing as u told is a concession by the child

  Sexual behaviour - Malinowski 1957 found that in SWPCFC, adults took a amused interest towards this
• globalisation of western childhood

  western notions of childhood have been globalised eg through humanitarian intervention and welfare agencies have exported on the rest of the world - western norms of what childhood should be eg innocent, no economic role etc

  campaigns against child labour
• Historical differences in childhood

  Aries 1960 - argues that in the Middle ages, childhood did not exist children were mini adults with rights duties and skills, eg law made no distinction between them and adults. evd: he uses art works from this period which show kids n adults dressing the same and playing together

  Shorter 1975 - high death rates encouraged indifference, and neglect towards infants especially. eg refer to a baby as it or a former dead child.
• modern cult of childhood

  Aries - elements of modern notion of childhood emerged from 13th century and onwards

  eg schools came to specialise for young children

  growing distinction between childrens and adults clothing.

  by 18th century, hanbooks on childrearing widely avaible suggesting child centredness f family.

  Pollock 1983 criticises him and says that its more corret to say that society had a diff notion of childhood.
• reasons for changing positions in childhood

  laws restricing child labour and excluding children from paid work - children economic liability, and dependent on parents now

  introduction of compulsory skwl 1880 extended dependency

  Child Prtect n welfare legis - 1889 prevention of cruelty to children act, 1989 children act made welfare of child important

  childrens rights UNConvention on rights of child 1989 lays down basic rights
• reasons CPOChoood p2 


  Declining family size and lower infornt mortality rate - encouraged parents to make greater investment in the kids they alr have

  childrens development subject of medical knowledge - Donzelot 1977 theories of child development have stressed that children need protection since 19th century.

  Laws n policies - eg minimum ages from sex to smoking n stuff
• disappearance of childhood


  Neil Postman 1994 - childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed - children getting the same rights as adults, growing similarity of clothing, children committing adult murder?
• information hierarchy


  childhood emerged as a seperate status along w mass literacy from 19th century and on printed word creates a hierarchy between adults who are literate and children who are not. eg adults have knowledge ab money violence sex but these are a mystery to children.

  TV blurs distinction between childhood and adulthood as info is accessible by everyone.
• eval of information hierarchy/childhood disappearing


  Opie 1993 argues that childhood is not disappearing, based on games songs etc there's strong evidence of continued existence of seperate children culture over the years.
• Childhood in post modernity

  Jenks 2005 does not believe childhood is disappearing but believes it is changing. agrees w aries that childhood was a creation for modern society. childhood is changing as society moves from modernity to post modernity. divorce more common , further reiterating the view that children are vulnerable and are in need of protection.
• evaluation of childhood in post modernity

  theres some evidence that parents see their relationship with their children as more important than their partners, but only from a small number of studies

  also jenks overgeneralises - despite greater family diversity he assumes all children in the same position.
• march of progress view

  Aries n Shorter have a MOP view, todays children are more valued, better cared for protected and educated
• child centred family


  higher living standards and smaller family sizes (down from 5.7 births per woman in 1860s to 1.83 in 2014) means that parents can afford childs needs properly. by a child reaches 21st bday parents wouldve spent 227k. MOP sociologists argue that the family has become child centred, focal point of family etc.
• toxic childhood


  Sue Palmer. rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged childrens physical, emotional and intellectual development UNICEF survery in 2013 ranked uk 16/29 in terms of childrens well being
• conflict view


  marxists n feminists say that MOP of modern childhood is based on a false image which ignores inequalities.
• inequalities amongst children


  not all kids share the same experience. Hillman 1993 boys are likely to be allowed to go outside, ride bikes etc unaccompanied. Bonke 1999 found that girls do more domestic labour espc in lone parent families where they do 5x more housework than boys.
• diffs between kids p2

  ethnic diffs: Brannen 1994: study of 15 y/o found that asian parents more likely to be strict with daughters than any other ethnicity. Bhatti 1999 idea of honour restricted girls

  class inequalities:

  • poor mums - low weight babies leads to delayed development
  • kids of unskilled workers 3x more likely to suffer from hyperactivity
  • die in infancy or childhood due to illness
• inequalities between adult and children

  Firestone 1979 and Holt 1974 argue that many of the things that MOP see as care and protection are new forms of oppression and control. eg protection from paid work isn't a benefit to children. its a way of forcibly segregating them and making them more dependent.
• neglect and abuse


  2013 - 43k kids subjected to child protection plans bc deemed to be risk at significant harm

  Chidline recieves 20k callsa year in relation physical or sexual abuse.
• control over children's space

  their movement is restricted in industrial spaces.some shops may display signs saying no school children. fear of strangers means kids are driven to school eg 1971 86% of primary children allowed to travel alone but in 2010 it falled by 25%. differs from other cultures eg sudanese children roam freely within village and several km outside of it (Katz 2004)
• controls over childrens bodies and resources

  eg what they wear, piercings hair dye etc

  in industrial societies, children limited opps to earn money so economically dependent on adults.

  labour laws n compulsory schooling excludes them from employment.
• age patriarchy 


  Gittins 1998 age patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency. father controls children etc. eg Thiara 2002 said that 1/4 of 200 women left their abusive partners bc they feared for their childs lives. - shows that patriarchy oppresses children not only women.
• Hockey and Allison 1993

  children may exp childhood as oppressive from the strategies they use to resist the status of the child

  one - acting up - so they do things children not meant to do eg drinking

  or acting down to resist adult control eg baby talk (modern childhood is one in which children wna escape_
• new sociology of childhood

  doesn;t see childhood as a social construct shaped by what is around them (policies,fam) but more that it sees children as adults in the making who play a part in creating their childhood
• childs POV


  smart 2011 new approach aims to include views and exps of children themselves who are living through the childhood.

  Mason and Tipper 2008 - children create their own definitions on what is family.