Childhood

?
View mindmap
  • CHILDHOOD
    • CHILDHOOD IN THE PAST
      • social construction - important characteristics of something such as childhood are created & influenced by the attitudes & actions of society
      • Phillippe Aries claims childhood is a recent social invention. in pre-industrial society, childhood didn't exist. children were 'little adults' seen as an economic asset
      • social construction of childhood linked to industrialisation, children seen to be innocent & in need of protection
    • CHILDREN IN THE 19TH CENTURY
      • many factory workers were children under age of 11
      • in poor families, parents sometimes forced children to engage in scavenging & street selling, & occasionally used as thieves or prostitutes
      • children faced the same legal punishment as adults for crime
      • children had low status in the family & were expected to be 'seen & not heard'
      • in richer families boys were apprentices & girls were servants (marxist, feminist, functionalist)
      • no social protection of kids
      • husband head of house, no involvement with children
    • CHILDREN IN 20TH CENTRURY
      • saw the emergence of a child-centred society
      • families had less children so invested more into their children in terms of love, socialisation
      • children were seen as being in need of special attention & protection
    • CAUSES OF CHILD-CENTREDNESS
      • families have got smaller-more individual care & attention
      • the welfare state - laws to protect children
      • parental fears of 'stranger danger', children travel more with parents
      • compulsory education from age 5. better educated
      • working hours shortened. more time to spend with kids
    • DIFFERENCES IN CHILDHOOD
      • child soldiers - conflict in 21 countries, 95,000 child soldiers killed per year
      • cheap labour- africa 28% children in work
      • social class- richer parents can afford to purchase activities that can enhance childrens personal development, poor children spend more time TV
      • gender- girls strictly controlled
    • CHILDHOOD DISSAPEARING
      • some sociologists argue the distinction between childhood & adulthood is merging to 1
      • Postman - process of childhood only take place if separated from adult world, argues there's death of childhood, children growing up too quickly losing innocence, underage sex etc.
      • Palmer - increase in modern technology - dont need to ask parents things
      • sexualisation of children - average age of sex = 20 for men, 21 for women, to now being 16 for both
    • POSITION OF CHILDHOOD WORSENED
      • child abuse - 1 in 5 kids subjected to child abuse, most committed by parent
      • legal controls - laws protecting kids from engaging in activities that they arent mature enough for e.g. sex. children have less legal rights, form of control
      • unhappy children - child proverty 3-7 million in UK
      • sibling abuse - 31% kicked etc. by sibling

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Families and households resources »