Childhood – Knowledge Organiser

Ways in which Childhood is socially constructed Evaluation Why has society become more
child-centred?
Modern Pilcher argues that childhood is a -Wagg argues that
western period of ‘separateness’ distinct childhood is socially
notion of from adult life. constructed – there is
Childhood -laws which regulate what children are no single universal
allowed, required, or forbidden to do childhood experienced
-Differences in dress + products or services
Pilcher e.g toys, food, books entertainment by all. The only
-Childhood is viewed as a ‘golden difference between
age’ of innocence + happiness childhood and
-Children viewed as vulnerable + in adulthood is biological
need of protection from the dangers maturity levels
of the adult world = they must be -Different cultures
kept ‘quarantined’+ separate from it construct or define
-Children lead lives of leisure + play childhood differently
+ are largely excluded from paid -In western cultures –
work children are viewed as
vulnerable + unable to
fend for themselves
-Other cultures do not
necessarily see a big
difference between
children + adults
Cross-cultural Benedict argues that children in
differences simpler, non-industrial societies are
generally treated differently from
Benedict their modern western counterparts
in 3 ways:
1. They take responsibility at
an early age – Punch’s study of
childhood in rural Bolivia = 5-year-
olds expected to take work
responsibilities in home /
community
2. Less value is placed on the
children showing obedience
to authority
3. Children’s sexual behaviour
is often viewed differently -
Trobiand Islanders took an
attitude of ‘tolerance and amused
interest’ towards children’s sexual
exploration + activities
-Age of consent is different across
the world
In non-industrial societies there is a
much less dividing line between the
behaviour expected of children and
that expected of adults.

Globalisation Western notions of childhood are -These campaigns have

of Western globalised; They see childhood as = little impact on the
views of -a separate life stage position of children in
Childhood -based in the nuclear family + school developing countries
-Children are innocent, dependent+
vulnerable
-Children have no economic role
 International humanitarian +
welfare agencies have exported +
imposed on the rest of the world
this western view of childhood.
Example = campaigns against child
labour or concerns about ‘street
children’ in developing countries
reflect western views about how
childhood should ‘ought’ to be –
whereas in fact such activity may be
the norm for the culture + an
important preparation for adult life.
Changes over The position of children differs over
time time as well as between different
societies = childhood today is a
Aries relatively recent ‘invention’
Shorter
= MARCH OF Ariés argues that in the Middle Ages
PROGRESS ‘the idea of childhood did not exist’:
VIEW -Children were not seen as having a
different ‘nature’ or needs from
adults
-In the Middle Ages childhood as a
separate age-stage was short =
children entered wider society on
much of the same terms as adults –
they worked at an early age, often
in the household of another family.
-Children were viewed as ‘mini-
adults’ with the same rights, duties
+ skills as adults e.g the law often
made no distinction between
children + adults + children often
faced the same charges
-Ariés viewed artwork from this
period, where there was no
difference between children +
adults except that they were
drawn/painted on a smaller scale –
children appear without ‘any
characteristics of childhood’ – they
were wearing the same clothes +
working + playing together
Parental attitudes towards children
in the middle ages were also very
different from those today:
-Shorter argues that high death
Pollock argues that it is Ariés + shorter take a march of
more correct to say that progress view and argue that
in the Middle Ages children today are much more
society had a different cared for, protected and
notion of childhood educated, they enjoy better
from today’s health and have more rights
than those of previous
generations. This is shown by;
-Laws restricting child labour +
excluding children from paid
work = children go from
economic assets to economic
liabilities
-The introduction of compulsory
schooling in 1880 + making the
school -leaving age later
-Child protection + welfare
legislation
=1889 Prevention of Cruelty to
Children Act
=1989 Children Act
-Declining family size + Lower
infant mortality rates have
encouraged parents to make a
greater financial + emotional
investment in the fewer children
they have now
-Children’s development became
the subject of medical
knowledge
 rates encouraged indifference + -Laws + policies that apply
neglect, especially towards infants specifically to children
-It was not uncommon for parents =age that one can smoke, drink
to give their new-born the same have sex etc
name as their recently dead sibling
-Industrialisation
=modern industries needs an
educated workforce = schooling
is needed
Disappearance Postman argues that childhood is Opie argues that
of Childhood disappearing at a dazzling speed + childhood is not
children are becoming more like disappearing:
adults in contemporary society. -Postman’s study is
Postman -This is due to exposure of the adult valuable in showing
world through technology + social how different types of
pressures to be more mature communication
technology such as print
Factors: + Tv, can influence the
 Children’s mental health way in which childhood
 Social class differences in is constructed.
childhood experiences However, he over-
 Control over children emphasises a single
 Sexualisation of childhood cause – television – at
 Toxic childhood the expense of other
factors that have
Information hierarchy – a sharp influenced the
division between adults, who can development of
read + children, who cannot childhood.
-This gave adults the power to keep
knowledge about sex, money,
violence, illness, death + other adult
matters secret from children
-Television blurs the distinction
between childhood and adulthood
by destroying the information
hierarchy
-Unlike printed word, Tv does not
require any special skills to access it
+ it makes information available to
both adults + children
-The boundary between child and
adult is broken down, adult
authority diminishes, + the
ignorance + innocence of childhood
is replaced by knowledge + cynicism
Childhood in Jenks believes that childhood is -Jenks is guilty of
postmodernit changing as we move from overgeneralising that all
y modernity to postmodernity: children are in the same
position
-In modernity, adult relationships
Jenks were more stable
-In post modernity, the pace of
change speeds up + relationships
become more unstable e.g divorce
becomes more common
-This generates feelings of
 uncertainty + insecurity therefore
relationships with their children
become more important as a source
of adults’ identity + stability – whilst
your marriage can end in divorce,
you will always be the parent to
your child.
-In postmodernity, relationships
between parent + child act as a last
refuge from the constant
uncertainty + upheaval of life = this
leads to parents becoming more
fearful for their child’s security +
even more preoccupied with
protecting them from perceived
dangers such as child abuse =
supports view of children as
vulnerable + in need of protection =
leads to greater surveillance +
regulation of children’s lives

March of Progress View

Conflict View

Adult and Child Conflict + Inequality