Term
PRE-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY AND CHILDHOOD
KEY THEORIST: ARIES (1960) |
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Definition
Middle Ages: childhood as a concept didn't exist and they weren't seen as having a different nature or need from adults.
• began working at early age 'mini adults'
• law made no distinction and punishments often the same
Analysed medieval paintings: children wearing miniature versions of adult clothing 7yrs onwards
17th C: noticed clothing distinction
20th C: 'century of the child' |
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Term
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Definition
| Wilson (1980): accuses Aries of being ethnocentric and is therefore guilty of applying modern standards to past societies |
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Term
| REASONS FOR CHANGES IN POSITION OF CHILDREN |
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Definition
• Laws!
Mid 19th C: Factory Acts were passed that excluded children from the mines and from certain types of milk and factory work, reduced the number of hours of paid work they could do
- 1989 Children's Act: allowed them more protection and rights
NSPCC set up in 1889
• Compulsory education introduced in 1880 |
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Term
| SOCIAL POLICY AND CHILDHOOD |
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Definition
• compulsory state education up to age of 18
• laws exclude children from activities which may harm them (e.g. Smoking)
• NHS - (e.g. Mass vaccination of children through GPs and paediatricians)
• Child Benefit and Tac Credit to parents - state takes some economic responsibility for children |
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Term
RELATIVITY OF CHILDHOOD
1. Gender |
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Definition
Oakley (1985): boys and girls are socialised into a set of behaviours based on cultural expectations about masculinity and femininity
McRobbie (2000): parents see girls as in need of greater protection from the outside world |
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Term
RELATIVITY OF CHILDHOOD
2. Social class |
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Definition
Donzelot (1979): poor families and their children are more likely to be controlled and regulated by the state (e.g. Social workers)
The Child Poverty Action Group: children from low-income families often do not experience childhood activities and events that most others take for granted (e.g. Going on school trips) |
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Term
RELATIVITY OF CHILDHOOD
3. Ethnicity and religion |
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Definition
Ghumann (2003): noted big impact religion has on childhood experience of Asians (e.g. Muslim children spent their Saturday mornings at the mosque learning the Qur'an)
Whites and religion: For example, Jehovah's Witnesses don't allow celebration of Christmas or birthdays |
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Term
RELATIVITY OF CHILDHOOD
4. Global experiences |
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Definition
Less developed nations: constant risk of death due to poverty and lack of basic healthcare, also less likely to have access to an education
UNESCO: 67.4 million children do not attend school in the developing world
Singer (2006): African states have been the epicentre of the child soldier phenomenon |
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Term
RELATIVITY OF CHILDHOOD
5. Child abuse |
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Definition
| NSPCC: at least 1 child will die a week at the hands of an adult's cruelty |
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Term
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CHILDHOOD
1. Conventional approach (Functionalists and NR) |
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Definition
• parenting and primary socialisation is the key to a successful childhood (values such as working hard and showing respect)
• nuclear family
• childhood under threat (see Postman, Palmer) |
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Term
KEY THEORIST: POSTMAN (1994)
Conventional approach |
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Definition
• childhood is disappearing at an alarming rate due to rise and fall of print culture and its replacement by TV culture
19th century: childhood had separate status, information hierarchy to protect children
NOW: TV DESTROYS INFO HIERARCHY, no special skills required to access things such as pornography |
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Term
KEY THEORIST: PALMER (2006)
Conventional Approach |
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Definition
'Toxic Childhood'
• rapid tech and cultural changes in the past 25 years have damaged children's physical/emotional/intellectual development
(E.g. Junk food and computer games) |
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Term
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CHILDHOOD
2. Feminist approach |
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Definition
Firestone (1979)
• care and protection seen as forms of oppression and control, compared to March of Progress view
• child liberationism (protection from paid work is an inequality - forces children to be segregated and dependent) |
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Term
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CHILDHOOD
3. Social action theory, childhood as a social construction |
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Definition
Wagg (1992): varies by culture and situation, childhood isn't universal and isn't 'natural', should be distinguished from mere biological immaturity
• socialisation is actually a two-way process to which children actively contribute (criticism of functionalist and NR views on family) (Morrow, 1998- children want a day in what happened to them)
• Chambers- children are not passive recipients of parental care and socialisation, need to be acknowledged as 'moral and social practitioners of family life in their own right'
• children often want more rights as they get older, which can lead to conflict (see Gittens, 1998) |
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Term
KEY THEORIST: GITTENS (1998)
Social action approach |
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Definition
'Age patriarchy'
• describes inequality between adults and children as age patriarchy
• adult domination and child dependency
• may assert itself in the form of DV against women and children |
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Term
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CHILDHOOD
4. Postmodernist approach |
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Definition
Status of children may be changing due to emergence of new kinds of family types
• Chapman: childhood experiences in different family types such as gay or reconstituted families, cannot be compared with those in conventional two-parent nuclear families
Postmodernist also note: Western approach to childhood is increasingly becoming globalised and being exported to other countries (e.g. China) |
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Term
| WESTERN MODEL OF CHILDHOOD |
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Definition
• Childhood is a special time of life, distinct from adulthood
• children need to acquire skills and knowledge to prepare for adulthood
Pitcher (1995): most important feature of modern idea of childhood is SEPARATENESS |
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Term
HAS CHILDHOOD IMPROVED?: YES
March of Progress
(Functionalists and NR) |
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Definition
Lloyd de Muse (1974): going back in history, family was more private and certain crimes were hidden such as child abuse and DV
Now: better protection and education, more rights
Also better healthcare, higher standards of living and increased survival
Families w/less children have more money to spend and focus on children
= FAMILY MORE CHILD-CENTRIC |
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Term
HAS CHILDHOOD IMPROVED?:NO
Conflict view
(Marxists, feminists) |
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Definition
Adults control children, dominant group are the oppressors (Gittens) also Marxist ideas here
• MoP view is based on a false and idealized image that ignores inequalities such as those among children and the risks they face
• also inequalities between children and adults are greater than ever (control over space etc)
(Postman, Palmer) |
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