1. Quick fire 4! Write 4 sentences to answer these questions
What is childhood?
What makes childhood different to adulthood?
How has childhood in the UK changed?
How have children been affected by these changes?
Quick fire 4! Write 4 sentences to answer these questions

2. Childhood as a Social Construct All students MUST be able to define social construction   Most students SHOULD be able to apply this to the study of childhood.   Some students COULD analyse different evidence that childhood is socially constructed

3. Key terms: Social construction. Key sociologists findings
Transferring: PEEEL
Key terms: Social construction. Key sociologists findings
Selecting and applying RELEVANT evidence. Questioning what the evidence tells you.

4. The social construction of childhood p179-182
Childhood can be seen as a social construction. Social construction = something that is created by society, constructed from social meanings and definitions. It is not a natural or biological state. Instead, it is shaped and given meaning by culture and society. As a result, the types of behaviour considered appropriate for children, the way children should be treated, and the length of time that childhood should last, are socially constructed.

5. Evidence that childhood is socially constructed comes from three main areas:
1. The differing status, responsibilities and treatment of children in different contemporary cultures. 2. The way the view of the nature of children and childhood, and the status, responsibilities and treatment of children have changed through history, and continue to change today. 3. The differences between children’s status and responsibilities even in the same society.

6. The western notion of childhood
Childhood in our society is regarded as a special time of life and children are seen as fundamentally different to adults. They are regarded as physically and psychologically immature and not yet competent to run their own lives. There is a belief that children’s lack of skills, knowledge and experience mean that they need to be protected and nurtured before they are ready for adult society.

7. Jane Pilcher (1995) – the most important feature of the modern idea of childhood is separateness. Childhood is seen as a distinct life stage.
Childhood as a distinct stage
Laws regulate what children can do
Differencein dress
Products and services
Childhood is seen as a ‘golden age’
Children seen as vulnerable and in need of protection
No paid work
Sphere of education and family

8. ….But this isn’t the case in all cultures or in the past.
What do the following images tell you about childhood in different cultures and ages?

9. A child soldier in Africa

10. Blackfoot Indians
The Blackfoot Indians lived on the plains of Western Canada. Children were taught the skills of horse riding from a young age. One of Long Lance’s earliest memories was falling off a horse. He was picked up by his oldest brother and put back on. His brother said “Now, you stay there! You are four years old and if you cannot ride a horse, we will put girls’ clothing on you and let you grow up a woman”.

11. Children in the 17th and 18th century worked rather than going to school.

14. Phnom Penh, 8, Roathy, Cambodia
Lamine, 12, Bounkiling village, Senegal
Jaime, 9, New York, USA
Alex, 9, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Children and their bedrooms from different parts of the world (
What conclusions can you draw from this about cross cultural differences in childhood?

15. Cross cultural differences in childhood
Ruth Benedict (1934) argues that children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently from their modern western counterparts in three ways:
EXAMPLES
They take responsibility at an early age
Less importance is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority
Children’s sexual behaviour is often viewed differently

16. Benedict’s three ways that non industrial society treats children differently to industrial society.
Non-industrial society treatment of children:
Take responsibility at an early age
Less value is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority.
Children’s sexual behaviour often viewed differently
Evidence/Study to support/show this
Firth (1970) studied the Tikopia tribe in the Western Pacific and found that doing what you are told to do by a parent is a decision which is down to the child, not something which should be expected by an adult.
Malinowski (1975) studied the Trobriand Islanders and found that adults took a tolerant and interested attitude towards the sexual exploration of children.
Holmes (1974) studied a Samoan village and found that children were never ‘too young’ to complete a task such as handling dangerous tools or carrying heavy loads.

17. Cross-cultural evidence
If childhood were simply a “natural” state, then it would be similar across all cultures. This is not the case. Other cultures treat children differently. Therefore, this is clear evidence that childhood is socially constructed.

18. Historical differences in childhood – Philippe Aries (1960)
Childhood did not exist
Children were not seen as having different needs from adults
Soon after being weaned, children entered wider society
Children were mini adults with the same rights, duties and skills as adults
The Middle Ages (from the 10th to the 13th centuries)
Schools came to specialise purely in the education of the young
There was a growing distinction between children’s and adult’s clothing
By the 18th century, handbooks on childrearing were widely available
These developments have led to the ‘cult of childhood’
The modern notion of childhood began to emerge from the 13th century onwards

19. Philippe Aries - review
Ariès argues that ‘childhood did not exist’ in the Middle Ages. Using the factors listed below, explain why Aries believes this was so.
High infant mortality rates
Low expectation of life
Large families
Children had little or no education
Children started work at about the age of six
Most adults were young and often had childlike qualities
Children often went to work away from home.

20. Reasons for changes in the position of children
Laws restricting child labour and excluding children from work
The introduction of compulsory schooling in 1880
Child protection and welfare legislation
The growth of children’s rights
Declining family size and lower IMR
Laws and policies that apply specifically to children
Children’s health and development became the subject of medical knowledge
Many sociologists agree that the process of industrialisation underlies many of these changes.

21. What differences do you think might exist between children in the UK?
Think about differences between gender, social class and ethnicity.

22. Differences between children in the same society
Gender According to Hillman (1993), boys are more likely to be allowed to cross or cycle on roads, use buses and go out after dark unaccompanied. Bonke (1999) found that girls do more domestic labour – especially in lone-parent families, where they do five times more housework than boys.

23. Differences between children in the same society
Ethnicity Brannen (1994) found that Asian parents were more likely than other parents to be strict towards their daughters. Bhatti (1999) found that ideas of izzat (family honour) could be a restriction, particularly on the behaviour of girls.

24. Differences between children in the same society
Social class
Poor mothers are more likely to have low birth weight babies, which in turn is linked to delayed physical and intellectual development.
Children of unskilled manual workers are over three times more likely to suffer from hyperactivity and four times more likely to experience conduct disorders than the children of professionals.
Children born into poor families are more likely to die in infancy or childhood, to fall behind at school and to be placed on the child protection register.

25. Summary – inequalities among children
Gender differences
Ethnic differences
Class inequalities

26. 1 – 5 Summary
Write 5 lines about what you have learnt in the lesson today. BUT your first line has to have 5 words, the second 4 words, then 3, then 2, then 1. (I will do the same thing and we can see how closely I match your ideas)

27. Exam Practice
Outline and explain two ways in which childhood can be seen as socially constructed (10 marks)