Childhood | Social Construction of Childhood

What does the social construction of childhood mean?

Childhood is not part of a biological range from birth to 18

How does the concept of childhood changes based on different social areas?

• Cultural backgrounds

• Time

• Social class

• Gender

• Ethnicity

What cultural differences in childhood?

• International Labour Organisation has estimated that there were 168 million child workers globally in 2013, other estimates have suggested more than 200 million

• Wyness (2012) has estimated around 300,000 child soldiers active in conflicts in Central and Eastern Africa

• UNICEF (2014) states that one in 10 girls experiences sexual violence and 95,000 children are murdered each year

• Differences in expectations of children’s behaviour globally- with little differentiation between adults and children in Samoa according to Benedict (1955)

What are the historical differences in childhood?

• Aries (1973) examined the development of modern childhood by examining the role of children throughout history

• Little differentiation between children and adults until the industrial era- a rise of compulsory schooling and control over labour laws

• Decrease in infant mortality as society evolved- children were often not expected to live to adulthood before this time

• Shift to a more child-centred society in the late 20th century as the number of children in families decreased and they became economic burdens