Childhood is a social construct- created by society rather than a biological stage THERE IS NO UNIVERSAL CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE

PHILIPPE- childhood must be a social construct as in the Middle Ages in didn’t exist, children were ‘mini adults’

• children had the same work/play as adults and were seen as economic assets that parents emotionally invested into

ARIES

• VICTORIAN ERA- childhood changed as there were legislations put in place to protect children
• 20th CENTURY- trend to educate and understand that children are different, there is now a distinct difference between clothes and schools to educate children
  *Aries used diaries from the Middle Ages as evidence for his views

PILCHER- ‘Modern childhood is defined through separateness’

• childhood is viewed as the ‘golden age’/ age of innocence where children need to be protected (E.g children now visit Disneyland that work in a mill)

BENEDICT- children in non-industrial societies are treated differently from modern western societies

• they take responsibility early on
• children’s sexual behaviours are also viewed differently

Globalisation- welfare agencies impose that the rest of the world should adopt western ideas on childhood (E.g introduction of marriage law whee the youngest age is 18)

ARIES- in Victorian era children viewed as economic assets whereas in 20th century there has been creations of new laws (E.g compulsory education and child labour) and different social attitudes to bring about big changes to childhood

• development of a western notion of childhood based on separateness means children are protected as centredness is the new norm

BENEDICT- cultural differences illustrate social construct of childhood

• in UK its very child centred
• in USA you have child brides
  *however globalisation is trying to change this

POSTMAN- open access to the media exposed young people to the adult world

• information hierarchy has been lost- children now have access to it whereas adults now didn’t which kept a divide between childhood and adulthood
• the TV and media have negative affects for blurring the lines between adults and children where children’s gamed are disappearing and they begin to speak/act more like adults

Marxism- adverts/capitalism target children (pester power) and this creates this disappearance of childhood as it starts to blend into adulthood

JENKS- childhood is changing, an adult relationship with there child is the last remaining certainty to life as society continues to become child centred, this relationship helps protect their child from being vulnerable to a postmodernist world

• accordion families- where young adults still live with there families

ARIES- children are more protected and cared for than ever before, they have better health and more rights - meaning they’re protected against exploitation/harm by laws against child abuse/labour

Large amounts of money go into education each year for children

PILCHER- family has become more child centred with parents investing emotionally and financially to give children a better life than they had

Marxism & feminism- there’s inequalities amongst children’s opportunities and risks they face with many children still unprotected and uncared for

Inequalities amongst adults and children are greater than ever as adults now experience greater control, whilst children experience greater oppression as they are fully dependent on them - economic liabilities

PALMER- rapid technology and cultural changes has resulted in toxic childhood, children’s physical/emotional/intellectual development is harmed by the media, junk food, long working hours and excessive marketing s’aimer towards children

• this has increased teenage self-harm and alcohol/drug abuse