Childhood

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Childhood
The sociology of childhood http//www.educationfo
rum.co.uk (based on a resource found at
http//www.esociology.co.uk/ )
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Childhood
Childhood is a social construction. It is created
by society rather than simply a biological
stage.   Different societies and different
historical periods have different ideas about
what is a child and what is expected of a child
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Childhood
 Pre Industrial Society  Aries 1962 Childhood
is a recent invention In pre industrial society
children were little adults They were an economic
asset they were expected to help the family
unit of production
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Childhood
Childhood In 20th Century   The 20th century
became child centred Health and diet improved
and the infant mortality rate declined.
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Childhood The State
The 20th century saw the increasing need to
protect children via a number of pieces of
legislation.   1945 Butler Education Act
schooling for all 5-15 (Raised to 16 in 1972) The
Children Act 1989 giving more rights to
children
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Childhood The State
1990 Child Care Act 1991 Child Support Act These
deal with the care, upbringing and protection of
children Social Services and Social Workers have
powers to take children away from dangerous home
situations
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Childhood The State
Recent changes have undermined the
distinctiveness of childhood, according to some
sociologists. TV and other media have penetrated
our homes and teat children as fully fledged
consumers of products. On the other hand the need
to protect children against the evils of the
adult world are reflected in the policies shown
above. Hence the messages have become confusing
and the debate about the status of children in
contemporary society has developed into a source
of tension
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Youth
Squeezed in between childhood and adulthood is
the unclear term youth
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Youth
Pilcher 1995 Says it is best treated as a
transition between child and adult. From
compulsory education to employment From family of
origin to family of destination (orientation to
procreation)
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Youth
1950s Youth Culture first emerged in post war
Uk Teenagers found jobs quickly and earned high
wages Hence they had strong spending
power Clothes, music etc exploited this new
market
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Youth
1960s Prosperity and media combined to give new
independence to youths Conflicts with the older
generation were more marked
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Youth
1970s 1972 school leaving age was raised to
16 By the end of the 1970s unemployment was
starting to bite
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Youth
1980s Unemployment became more
widespread Spending power of youth declined More
staying on longer in full time education
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Youth
1990s Transition to economic independence has
become longer House price increases have led many
to stay living with parents into their
20s People are marrying later and having
children later. (Average age for first time mums
was 24 in the 1970s, now its 28) University
loans replacing grants has led to more dependence
on family for financial support
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Exam Questions on childhood May 2002 Identify
and briefly explain 2 reasons why the position of
childhood has changed in the last 100 years (8
marks)
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June 2001 Identify and briefly explain 2
reasons why childhood as a separate age-status is
a relatively modern invention (8 marks)
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Jan 2002 Examine the arguments and evidence in
favour of the view that childhood is socially
constructed (20 marks) Lesson Home