Childhood

?
  • Created by: Jenayyyxx
  • Created on: 12-06-23 20:39
Why do sociologists believe that childhood is socially constructed?
Sociologists believe that childhood is a social construct because it has changed throughout history and some societies do not even have childhood. This is what sociologist Wagg says.
1 of 13
Summarise a functionalist perspective of childhood
Functionalists adopt a march of progress view; they believe childhood has improved through social policies, which were created because we have become a child-centred society.
2 of 13
Key functionalists for this topic:
- Aries (painting guy)
- Pilcher and Cunningham
- Shorter
- Young and Willmott
3 of 13
Aries:
Up until the 17th century children were perceived as 'mini adults'. This is in all areas (clothing, leisure, work). But introduction of literature, paediatrics, education meant that children evolved from being a unit of production to being a unit of consu
4 of 13
Pilcher and Cunningham:
Childhood is now a protected and privileged time of life because we have evolved into a child-centred society based on the norm and value that children are physically weak and psychologically/cognitively immature so they require a long period of socialisa
5 of 13
Shorter:
High infant mortality rate (IMR) indicates affectionless childrearing practices, e.g. children being named after their dead sibling or people having 'replacement babies'.
6 of 13
Young and Willmott:
Stratified diffusion causes w/c to reduce their fertility rate to imitate the m/c lifestyle
7 of 13
Infant Mortality Rate (definition):
Deaths under the age of 2 years per thousand of live births per annum
8 of 13
Fertility Rate (definition):
the average number of live births a woman will have during her life
9 of 13
Stratified Diffusion (definition):
A concept that describes how changes in the m/c 'trickle down' and are mirrored by the w/c
10 of 13
Policies creating a child-centred society (there's 5):
1. C19th Factory Acts - restricting child labour
2. 1871 - compulsory education
3. 1989: Child Protection Act - view that children should not grow up in care
4. 2003: Every Child Matters - the coalition of health care, teachers and social workers to sup
11 of 13
Criticisms for the child-centred society claim (2):
1. Ignores cultural relativism - different cultures have different norms and values, e.g. children work in Bolivia (Punch)
2. Ethnocentric bias of westernised values - imposing their values re. march of progress to devalue other cultural practices (Benedi
12 of 13
What is Marxist's perspective on childhood?
There is little evidence of a child-centred society. The evidence for this is:
- unrecognised and unpaid child-carers
- capitalist commercialisation of childhood (Schlor), e.g. increase in child-obesity and increase in relative deprivation and bullying
13 of 13

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Summarise a functionalist perspective of childhood

Back

Functionalists adopt a march of progress view; they believe childhood has improved through social policies, which were created because we have become a child-centred society.

Card 3

Front

Key functionalists for this topic:

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Aries:

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Pilcher and Cunningham:

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

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