Cross cultural differences in childhood
- Samatha Punch's study of childhood in rural Bolivia found that, once a child is 5 years old, they are expected to take work responsibilities in the home and in the community.
- Holmes found in their study of a Somoan village that 'too young' was never given as a reason to why a child couldn't undertake a task.
- Raymond Firth found that among the Tikopia of the western Pacific, doing as you were told by grown ups is regarded as a concession to be granted by the child, not a right to be expected by an adult.
- Malinowski found that the Trobriand Islanders of thw South west Pacific adults took an attitude of 'tolerance and amused interest' towards children's sexual exploitation and activities.
Evaluation:
- Benedict argues that in many non-industrial cultures, there is less of a dividing line between the behaviour expected of children and that expected of adults.
- Such evidence illustrates the key idea that childhood is not a fixed thing found universally in the same form in all human societies, but is socially constructed and so differs from culture to culture
Comments
No comments have yet been made