roles and relationships between parents and children

what is a child?

a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of the majority of the population

what stereotypes of children/ childhood are there?

teachers treating children much differently based on their gender or the way they grew up.
the way other children act may make some of them neglect others.

why would some sociologists see childhood as socially constructed?

because childhood is something created and defined by society

how are western childhood like?

innocent, golden age, immature, happiness, vulnerable, incompetent

How does the sociologist Jane Pilcher (1995) see childhood?

is seen as a clear and distinct life stage, separate from adulthood. They are not mature or competent enough to run their own lives and need nurturing/ socialisation/ protection to prepare them for adulthood.

Is Jane Pilcher’s point of view of childhood representative for all childhood?

No because some would have to work at a young age because of war and where they grew up in such as Africa as many children cannot have an education as they need to get the family needs.

How does the sociologist Wagg (1992) view childhood?

childhood is socially constructed. Childhood is part of life, you have to experience it as its part of your biological genes in society.

How did the historain Lawrence Stone (1990) describe childhood was like up until the 18th century?

children were regarded as extra workers to help their parents or to be hired out for wages by poorer families.

How does Phillipe Aries view childhood in the past?

mini adults as they had no special rights or protection and were treated just like small adults.

How ere children viewed as in richer families in the past?

children were treated as commodities, sons were there to inherit titles and property and daughters to be married off to create useful alliances with other powerful families.

When did western societies decide to separate children from adulthood and how did they do it?

in modern times and excluded children from the world of work and placed in compulsory education

How have families became more child-centred?

instead of children being regarded as there to serve the needs of adults, families revolve around the child’s needs. A far greater proportion income is now spent on children, to the extent that many parents will make sacrifices for their child welfares.

how have society helped with families with children after the 1880s?

smaller families: more love, attention and financial resources can be lavished on each child
shorter working hours: parents have more time to spend with their child

how does the social policy help with children nowadays?

governments now emphasise child welfare
benefits to assist parents caring for children
greater emphasis on child protection-social workers removing children from abusive families

how does children’s rights help with children nowadays?

the united nations convention on the rights of the child (1989) stated that children had specific rights
the UK 1989 and 2004 children’s acts established legal rights for children in the UK.

how does child experts help with children nowadays?

medical, psychological and educational experts deliver scientific theories on how children should be brought up
children have special needs and parenting requires skills they must learn

how does concerns about children help with children nowadays?

parents are more concerned about threats to children due to risks of accidents “stranger danger” and paedophiles
Furedi (2001) argues this is a moral panic encouraged by the media and that parents fear ate unjustified

how does the children as consumers help with children nowadays?

businesses have created a consumer market targeted at children
toys, games, food, clothes, leisure activities
children use pester power to encourage parents to buy them sweets, toys, phones