Childhood and the social construct-sociologist list
Key:
Heheh-Sociologist Heheh-Important information
The modern west notion of childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- Childhood holds a separate status from adults(in the Western world)
- Childhood is a clear and distinct life stage
- Children are physically and emotionally immature
- Children's lack of skills, knowledge and experience means they need to have a
lengthy, protected period of nurturing
- Emphasised in several ways→different clothes, books, food, toys and et
cetera
- Relates to the ‘Golden age of childhood’→children are full of happiness and
innocence→this means that they are vulnerable to the adult
world(separateness)
- Adults provide for children from the outside world(e.g. education)
● Wagg(1992)
- Childhood is not socially constructed for all societies
- All humans go through the same stages of physical development, but different
cultures influence how they are brought up(different cultures construct
differently
- Western notion of childhood→children are vulnerable and cannot/are unable
to fend for themselves
- Other culture's notions of childhood→children and adults are similar(no large
difference)
Cross-cultural differences in childhood
● Benedict(1934)
- Children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently
than they would in the Western world
1
, - Less dividing line between the behaviour/attitudes of children and adults(in
non-industrial cultures)
- Evidence illustrates that childhood is not a fixed aspect of life that is found
universally, but instead is socially constructed and differs from culture to
culture
● Punch(2001)
- Study on Childhood in Rural Bolivia
- Once children are about 5 years old they are expected to work and help out in
the home/community(with no hesitation/questions)
● Holmes(1974)
- Study of the Samoan Village
- There was never an age where it was ‘too young’ to take on tasks and
responsibilities
- If a child wanted to help with certain tasks then they were allowed to
● Firth(1970)
- Study of the Tikopia of the Western Pacific
- Less value is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority
- Doing as you are told by an adult/grown-up is regarded as a concession to be
granted by the child, not a right expected from the adult
● Malinowski(1957)
- Study of the Trobriand Islanders of the south-west Pacific
- Children's sexual behaviour is often viewed differently→adults took an
attitude of ‘tolerance and amused interest’, in children and their sexual
explorations/activities
The globalisation of Western childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- The Western notion of childhood is being globalised
- The Western notion of childhood→separate life stage, based on the nuclear
family and school, children are innocent, dependent and vulnerable and
have no economic role
- The Western idea of childhood in Third World countries→large campaigns
about childhood ought to be like(e.g protection from child labour)
2
Key:
Heheh-Sociologist Heheh-Important information
The modern west notion of childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- Childhood holds a separate status from adults(in the Western world)
- Childhood is a clear and distinct life stage
- Children are physically and emotionally immature
- Children's lack of skills, knowledge and experience means they need to have a
lengthy, protected period of nurturing
- Emphasised in several ways→different clothes, books, food, toys and et
cetera
- Relates to the ‘Golden age of childhood’→children are full of happiness and
innocence→this means that they are vulnerable to the adult
world(separateness)
- Adults provide for children from the outside world(e.g. education)
● Wagg(1992)
- Childhood is not socially constructed for all societies
- All humans go through the same stages of physical development, but different
cultures influence how they are brought up(different cultures construct
differently
- Western notion of childhood→children are vulnerable and cannot/are unable
to fend for themselves
- Other culture's notions of childhood→children and adults are similar(no large
difference)
Cross-cultural differences in childhood
● Benedict(1934)
- Children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently
than they would in the Western world
1
, - Less dividing line between the behaviour/attitudes of children and adults(in
non-industrial cultures)
- Evidence illustrates that childhood is not a fixed aspect of life that is found
universally, but instead is socially constructed and differs from culture to
culture
● Punch(2001)
- Study on Childhood in Rural Bolivia
- Once children are about 5 years old they are expected to work and help out in
the home/community(with no hesitation/questions)
● Holmes(1974)
- Study of the Samoan Village
- There was never an age where it was ‘too young’ to take on tasks and
responsibilities
- If a child wanted to help with certain tasks then they were allowed to
● Firth(1970)
- Study of the Tikopia of the Western Pacific
- Less value is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority
- Doing as you are told by an adult/grown-up is regarded as a concession to be
granted by the child, not a right expected from the adult
● Malinowski(1957)
- Study of the Trobriand Islanders of the south-west Pacific
- Children's sexual behaviour is often viewed differently→adults took an
attitude of ‘tolerance and amused interest’, in children and their sexual
explorations/activities
The globalisation of Western childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- The Western notion of childhood is being globalised
- The Western notion of childhood→separate life stage, based on the nuclear
family and school, children are innocent, dependent and vulnerable and
have no economic role
- The Western idea of childhood in Third World countries→large campaigns
about childhood ought to be like(e.g protection from child labour)
2
