Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS (2) - CHILDHOOD - Coggle Diagram
FAMILIES AND HOUSEHOLDS (2) - CHILDHOOD
CHILDHOOD
IS
A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
BENEDICT (CULTURAL RELATIVITY)
BETWEEN CULTURES
less developed nations: less education + resources -> more illness + higher mortality rate, more likely to produce child soldiers + child labour
punch - bolivia
: children of ~5yrs are expected to start working
compared to the uk, children and their rights/ freedom are more prioritised; 13yr + can work but only on weekends until 18 and isn't an obligation like it is in bolivia
malinowski - trobriand tribe
: adults have an attitude of 'tolerance and amused interest' towards children's sexual explorations/ activities
benedict says in non-industrial cultures there is a blur of expected behaviour between children + adults; childhood isn't fixed, instead socially constructed and varying from between cultures
WITHIN CULTURES
asian parents have more social control over children (more girls), w/ more significance on family honour
religion may also be of significance, w/ more time spent on religious practice being encouraged
impact of social class
: w/c - more culturally + materially deprived, while the m/c are mostly the opposite, having access to enriching experiences
laren
: m/c child's experiences structured by parents
impacts of gender
: girls have more social control due to domestic expectations (can be linked to canalisation too)
ARIES (HISTORICAL RELATIVITY)
the middle ages had the child go into wider society at an early age (e.g. beginning work), aries describing children of this era as 'mini-adults'
laws made little differentiation between children + adults, and similar punishments were dished out for the two groups
aries used middle age art as evidence - children + adults dressing the same, sharing the same place
aries argues notions of modern childhood began emerging from the 13th century
schools began being specialised to educate the young only w/ church's influence, seeing children as fragile 'creatures of god'
more distinction between children + adult clothing
childrearing handbooks began growing popular from the 18th century - a move towards child-centredness (m/c mainly)
aries said these developed the 'modern cult of childhood', with the world slowly growing obsessed with its concept towards the 20th century - 'century of the child'
aries has
critics like pollock
who say the middle ages just had a different idea of childhood to today, and said paintings as evidence isn't reliable
CHILDHOOD
IS NOT
A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
PILCHER (SEPERATEDNESS)
children are generally seen as physically + psychologically immature in society, lacking skills, knowledge + experience leading to them needing protection, nurturing + socialisation
childhood is identified as a distinct life stage, separating children from adults
laws regulate what children can, can't and need to do
children also dress differently to adults, and they also have specialised products + services
due to the notion of needing to be protected, childhood mainly revolves within family and education, mostly excluded outside the world of work
before puberty children are considered to have 'physical immaturity' - being less stronger + less physically capable, after puberty their physical maturity begins
children's lower awareness of consequences displays their psychological separateness, acting more impulsively, while adults tend to act more rationally
CHANGES TO CHILDHOOD
aries and shorter
say children are more valued, protected, cared for + educated now more than ever
there are higher standards of living + smaller families -> parents can attend to their children's needs properly (each child costs ~£227,000 up to 21yrs)
children are the focal point of family life, requiring both high emotional + financial investment
cunningham
: child-centred society has three features: childhood as the opposite of adulthood, separated social spheres/ activities, and specific children's rights
FUTURE OF CHILDHOOD
PALMER
more consumption of material goods means children manipulate their parents for more goods
parents end up using tech to raise their children as an alternative to trad parenting practices
in recent times we see parents making efforts to make their children's earliest years screen-free, instead using naturally stimulating crafts/ toys to teach them fundamental skills
PHILLIPS
parents use their children as visible symbols of consumerism, deliberately spending loads to mark themselves to have more status + wealth than others
parents want to flaunt their status + wealth, while children become more materialistic, demanding more goods from parents, creating a constant cycle of consumerism
pugh
: 'consumption as compensation' - parents who don't spend as much time w/ their children alleviate guilt by buying their children whatever they want
evans and chander
: many parents justify consumption based on wanting their kids to be safer, spending more time at home instead of outside where they think is more riskier
POSTMAN
tv + other media corrupt processes in childhood, creating 'social blurring' - little distinction between children + adult content
tv puts childhood under threat as children see the real world too soon w/ unlimited access to sex, disaster, death, suffering etc.
recent studies suggest adults are becoming more restrictive on children's accesses
david brooks
: parents are obsessed w/ safety + placing boundaries for their children, widening controls + creating a safety net for them
PUGH
'consumption as compensation' - parents who don't spend as much time w/ their children alleviate guilt by buying their children whatever they want
'cash rich, time poor' parents - parents want to flaunt their wealth rather than spend genuine time socialising, nurturing + spending time w/ their children
CHILDHOOD EQUAL FOR ALL?
INEQUALITIES - CHILDREN
GENDER
hillman
: boys more likely to go out cycling, use public transport, go out at dark
bonke
: girls do more domestic labour, esp. in lone-parent families
ETHNICITY
brannen
: asian parents more stricter on daughters
bhatti
: izzat (honour) is a restriction, esp. for girls
SOCIAL CLASS
poor mother = low-weight babies -> delayed physical + intellectual development
children of unskilled manual workers = suffer 3x more from hyperactivity, suffer 4x from conduct disorders
children of poor families = more chance of infant death, illness, fall behind, place on childhood protection register
INEQUALITIES - CHILDREN AND ADULTS
firestone and holt
: 'child liberationalism' - freeing children from adult control
adults control
neglect/ abuse
physical neglect or physical, sexual or emotional abuse
childline receives ~20,000 calls from children per year saying they've been sexually/ physically abused
'dark side' - children are victims in the family
children's spaces
adults keep close watch, esp. in public
1971: 86% kids went home alone from school, 2010: 25%
rural sudanese children can roam freely
children's time
control daily routines, defining what activities they do/ start at what age (controlling how fast they grow up)
children's bodies
how they dress, how they're touched, how they touch their bodies
access to resources
labour laws
compulsory schooling
pocket money depending on behaviour
restrictions on how money is spent
katz
: sudanese children are in productive work by ages 3/ 4
EVALUATION
children cannot make rational choices, so cannot safeguard themselves properly
children aren't as powerless under adult control as child liberationists claim (↓ examples)
1984 children act, un convention on the rights of the child