Transcript Childhood - the Education Forum

Childhood
The sociology of childhood
http://www.educationforum.co.uk
(based on a resource found at http://www.esociology.co.uk/ )
Childhood
Childhood is a social
construction. It is created by
society rather than simply a
biological stage.
Different societies and
different historical periods
have different ideas about
what is a child and what is
expected of a child
Childhood
Pre Industrial Society
Aries 1962
‘Childhood’ is a recent
invention
In pre industrial society
children were little adults
They were an economic
asset – they were
expected to help the
family unit of production
Childhood
Childhood In 20th Century
The 20th century became ‘child centred’
Health and diet improved and the infant
mortality rate declined.
Childhood & The State
The 20th century saw the increasing need
to protect children via a number of
pieces of legislation.
1945 Butler Education Act – schooling
for all 5-15
(Raised to 16 in 1972)
The Children Act 1989 – giving more
rights to children
Childhood & The State
1990 Child Care Act
1991 Child Support Act
These deal with the care, upbringing and
protection of children
Social Services and Social Workers have
powers to take children away from
dangerous home situations
Childhood & The State
Recent changes have undermined the distinctiveness
of childhood, according to some sociologists.
TV and other media have penetrated our homes and
teat children as fully fledged consumers of products.
On the other hand the need to protect children against
the ‘evils’ of the adult world are reflected in the
policies shown above.
Hence the messages have become confusing and the
debate about the status of children in contemporary
society has developed into a source of tension
Youth
Squeezed in between childhood and
adulthood is the unclear term ‘youth’
Youth
Pilcher 1995
Says it is best treated as a transition
between child and adult.
From compulsory education to
employment
From family of origin to family of
destination (orientation to procreation)
Youth
1950’s
Youth Culture first emerged
in post war Uk
Teenagers found jobs
quickly and earned high
wages
Hence they had strong
spending power
Clothes, music etc exploited
this new market
Youth
1960’s
Prosperity and media combined to give
new independence to youths
Conflicts with the older generation
were more marked
Youth
1970’s
1972 school leaving
age was raised to 16
By the end of the
1970’s unemployment
was starting to bite
Youth
1980’s
Unemployment
became more
widespread
Spending power of
youth declined
More staying on
longer in full time
education
Youth
1990’s
Transition to economic independence has
become longer
House price increases have led many to stay
living with parents into their 20’s
People are marrying later and having children
later. (Average age for first time mums was 24
in the 1970’s, now it’s 28)
University loans replacing grants has led to
more dependence on family for financial
support
Exam Questions on childhood
May 2002
Identify and briefly explain 2 reasons
why the position of childhood has
changed in the last 100 years (8 marks)
June 2001
Identify and briefly explain 2 reasons why
childhood as a separate age-status is a
‘relatively modern invention’ (8 marks)
Jan 2002
Examine the arguments and evidence in
favour of the view that childhood is
socially constructed (20 marks)
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