Inequalities between adults and children

Firestone (1979), Holt (1974)

• Many things viewed as progress, care and protection are actually new ways of oppressing and controlling children

Freeing children from adult control

• Child liberationism

Firestone (1979) - paid work

• ‘Protection’ from paid work forcibly segregates children, making them more dependent, powerless and subject to adult control

2013 Child Protection Plans- number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to extreme abuse

43,000

Number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to physical abuse (2013)

4,670

Number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to sexual abuse (2013)

2,030

Number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to emotional abuse (2013)

13,640

Number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to neglect (2013)

17,930

Number of children subject of a CPP from their parents due to multiple types of abuse (2013)

4,870

Number of calls received by childline/year from children saying they’ve been sexually or physically abuse

20,000

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s space

• ‘No schoolchildren’ signs in shops

• Forbidden from playing in some areas

• Close surveillance in some public spaces such as shopping centres, especially when expected to be in school

  • Different to developing countries

    • Rural sudanese children roam freely within the village and several km outside of it

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s space - roads

• More children are driven to school now

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s space - roads - % of children who travel home from school alone 1971, 2010

• 1971- 86% of children travelled home from school alone

• 2010- 25% of children travelled home from school alone

Cunningham (2007) - home habitat

• Home habitat = area in which one can travel alone

  • of an 8y/o is 1/9 of the size that it was 25 years earlier

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s time

• Adults control children’s daily routines and the speed at which children grow up

  • ‘You’re too young for (insert activity/responsibility/behaviour)

Holmes - cultural contrast, Samoa

• Among Samoans, ‘too young’ is not a thing

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s bodies

• Adult control over how we sit/walk/run, what we wear, how we do our hair, if we have piercings

• It’s taken for granted that children can be touched by adults

  • Washed/fed/dressed/head patted/hand held/picked up/cuddled/kissed/smacked

• Children restricted in touching their own bodies

  • Nose picking/sucking thumb/playing with genitals

    • Children in the Trobriand Islands (non-industrial culture) have more sexual freedoms (RESEARCH)

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s access to resources - labour and schooling laws

• Children are limited in earning so financially dependent on adults

  • Labour and schooling laws

    • Children commonly do marginal, low-paid, part-time employment

      • Katz

        • Sudanese children engaged in productive work at 3-4 years old

Katz (2004) - controls over children’s access to resources - money

• Children are limited in earning so financially dependent on adults

  • Child benefits are paid to the parent

  • Pocket money dependent on good behaviour and there are restrictions on what it can be spent on

Age patriarchy - Gittins (1998)

• Describes inequalities between adults and children

  • Domination/depedency

  • The patriarchy oppresses both women and children

    • Patriarchy: ruled by the father

    • Family: power of male head over all other members of the household

      • Form of violence against women and children

Humphrey’s and Thiarin (2002) - proportion of women who left their abusive partner for the sake of their child(ren)

• ¼ of 200 women left their abusive partner as they feared for their children’s lives

Hockey and James (1993) - strategies used by children to resist the status of child and accompanying restrictions

• ‘Acting up’

  • Acting like adults-drinking/swearing/smoking/sex

  • Exaggerating their age- ‘I’m nearly 9’

• ‘Acting down’

  • Age regression- wanting to be carried, baby talk

• Conclusion: modern childhood is a status from which children want to escape

Criticism of child liberationist theory - rationality of children

• Children cannot make rational decisions and so are unable to safeguard their interests themselves

Criticism of child liberationist theory - true power of children

• Children are not powerless as liberationists claim

  • 1989- Children Act establishes the principle that children have legal rights to be protected and consulted