Childhood
After studying this section, you should be able to understand:
how the experience of childhood today is a fairly recent social construct
the evidence that suggests that modern societies, such as Britain, are
childcentred societies
Childhood as a social construct
Cunningham saw the social construction of childhood by adults.
Childhood was seen to have three major characteristics:
It was the opposite of adulthood – children were in need of protection, to
have the right not to work and to be dependent on adults.
The world of the adult and the world of the child were to be kept separate –
the home and the school were regarded as the ideal places for children —
they were often banned from adult spaces such as workplaces.
Children were seen to have the right to ‘happiness’. — stress free - don’t
have to go to work like in the past
Child-centred society
Childhood 1
, The emergence of a child-centred society in twentieth century Britain was the
result of a number of related developments.
Improved living standards in terms of wages, housing, sanitation, nutrition,
hygiene and improvements in maternal health care led to a major decline in
the infant mortality rate. People no longer needed to have lots of children
in order to ensure that a few survived.
Society became more wealthy, so children were needed less as economic
assets and raising children became more expensive. Parents therefore
chose to have fewer children.
The increased availability and efficiency of contraception allowed people
to choose to have fewer children. — Before there was no choice.
Cultural expectations about childhood changed as the media defined
childhood and adolescence as separate categories from adulthood. Parents
came to see childhood as a special time in terms of love, socialisation
and protection.
The State became more involved in the supervision, socialisation and
protection of children. For example, through compulsory education which
lasts 11 years. The role of social services and social workers is to police
those families in which children are thought to be at risk. The government
also takes some economic responsibility by paying child benefit to
parents.
Every Child Matters, focuses on the well-being of children and young
people from birth to age 19. This stresses ‘better outcomes’ for children,
such as ‘being healthy, staying safe’, and ‘achieving economic well-being’ at
the centre of all government policies. Increasingly, children have come to
be seen by the State as individuals with rights.
The social construction of childhood is also illustrated by interpretivist
sociologists who point out that the experience of childhood is shaped by the
fact that the relationship between parents and children is a two-way process in
which the latter can, and do, influence the nature and quality of family life.
Childhood 2
After studying this section, you should be able to understand:
how the experience of childhood today is a fairly recent social construct
the evidence that suggests that modern societies, such as Britain, are
childcentred societies
Childhood as a social construct
Cunningham saw the social construction of childhood by adults.
Childhood was seen to have three major characteristics:
It was the opposite of adulthood – children were in need of protection, to
have the right not to work and to be dependent on adults.
The world of the adult and the world of the child were to be kept separate –
the home and the school were regarded as the ideal places for children —
they were often banned from adult spaces such as workplaces.
Children were seen to have the right to ‘happiness’. — stress free - don’t
have to go to work like in the past
Child-centred society
Childhood 1
, The emergence of a child-centred society in twentieth century Britain was the
result of a number of related developments.
Improved living standards in terms of wages, housing, sanitation, nutrition,
hygiene and improvements in maternal health care led to a major decline in
the infant mortality rate. People no longer needed to have lots of children
in order to ensure that a few survived.
Society became more wealthy, so children were needed less as economic
assets and raising children became more expensive. Parents therefore
chose to have fewer children.
The increased availability and efficiency of contraception allowed people
to choose to have fewer children. — Before there was no choice.
Cultural expectations about childhood changed as the media defined
childhood and adolescence as separate categories from adulthood. Parents
came to see childhood as a special time in terms of love, socialisation
and protection.
The State became more involved in the supervision, socialisation and
protection of children. For example, through compulsory education which
lasts 11 years. The role of social services and social workers is to police
those families in which children are thought to be at risk. The government
also takes some economic responsibility by paying child benefit to
parents.
Every Child Matters, focuses on the well-being of children and young
people from birth to age 19. This stresses ‘better outcomes’ for children,
such as ‘being healthy, staying safe’, and ‘achieving economic well-being’ at
the centre of all government policies. Increasingly, children have come to
be seen by the State as individuals with rights.
The social construction of childhood is also illustrated by interpretivist
sociologists who point out that the experience of childhood is shaped by the
fact that the relationship between parents and children is a two-way process in
which the latter can, and do, influence the nature and quality of family life.
Childhood 2
