“One example of such a report will suffice. In 1850 an inquest was held on a 38 year old man whose body was reported as being little more than a skeleton, his wife was described as being ‘the very personification of want’ and her child as a ‘skeleton infant”
(.)
Children from rich families had a better standard of education wore better clothes, better housing and had food. The rich displayed little interest to the poor, Rich would only take pictures or paints of the upper class, they thought children were not worthy of being painted. Pictures that were done of children were all of children in miniature adults clothing. Aries (1986) suggests that evidence for childhood being a social construction exists in the artwork of the medieval times. Pollock (1983) argues this, childhood did exist; it was just different than our concept of it today. Diana Gittin (2009) goes on to say that Aries (1986) work changed the way social sciences and historians thought about childhood, there were debate talking about his methods and sources as painting cannot be true representation.
Neil Postman (1994) states that the invention of childhood was primarily due to the development of technology namely the printing press in the 1450 (Clark, 2011:18), as books were introduced new ideas about children and how they were perceived were opened up. Postman (1994) maintains that as a result, childhood began to be viewed as a separate time set apart for learning (Clark: 18). Aries (1986) argued that the concept of childhood did not come about until the industrial revolution, emerging with the ‘housewife’ role.
In the industrial revolution religion took an impact on children and society believing that discipline was in need, for children were born bad. Lawrence Stone (1977) proposes that with the awareness that behaviour depended on discipline, parents took their duty as disciplinarians more seriously. Diana Gittin (2009: 41) state that in the sixth century, with the rise of Puritanism, parents were exhorted by religious leaders to be severe with even the youngest of children in order to eradicate the sin that they believed was innate in everyone from birth. Parents thought children need their souls saving, so by teaching morals and to be good this would save them. Pollock (1987) argues this and states that there was enough evidence to support that puritans parents we gentle, loving and caring with their children and see this as an individual trait (Kehily:43). However, Sather (1988) argues that following the Reformation, the relationship between parents and children became characterised by harshness and cruelty, as physical punishment became the norm, especially amongst Puritans. In all likelihood, most parents took the view of John Locke (1692), that children were morally neutral, and that it was up to them by both love and appropriate correction, to bring out the good in their nature. DeMause has suggested that the parental response to the infant or child has evolved over time from one which was generally abusive and cruel to one which became nurturing and affectionate (www.faqs.org. 21.11.2011).
Looking at the way childhood has changed throughout different stages of history, it could be said that childhood is constructed by society, media and accepted knowledge. As in the 20th century the United Kingdom has made its self a child-centered society. The UK government has put Children’s rights in place to protect children from exploitation and abuse. (Rights: ‘Children have the right to education and play’ ‘Governments should ensure that children are properly cared for, and protect them from violence abuse and neglect’). This made childhood more positive culture as parents looked more into children’s needs. Progression was made as more legislation’s came out, children’s physical health was greatly improved and infant mortality had dropped rapidly. Children began to be viewed as individuals, parents learning to meet their child’s needs, emotional not just physical.
The concept of childhood has changed immensely in the UK today and childhood has been perceived in different two ways: the first is the ‘march of progress view’ against the ‘conflict view’.
The march of progress view was seen as society moving forward out from the dark ages. Children were being acknowledged and this was providing a child-centered society and that childhood is at its finest it has ever been, the western society’s growths have provided this for children. ‘In his 1974 History of Childhood,
‘Lloyd DeMause deduced that love for children did not exist in the antiquity, where child abandonment was common among the poor until the fourth century B.CE. He also saw a landscape of CHILD ABUSE and mistreatment continuing until the very modern period’. (www.faqs.org)
This is a vital argument with the march of progress view as childhood gradual has improved as infant mortality as reduced. The government organizations have provided more care and value towards children in society today. But the march of progress view is intensely argued by the ‘conflict view’ which observes society constructed on conflict between different social groups such as genders and social class. The conflict view criticise the march of progress view in two ways, one is that there are inequalities among children in terms of the opportunities and risk they came across. It has been said that children today are unprotected and badly cared for children are more exposed to cruelty, which makes children not protected or cared for.
There have been debates on division between childhood and adulthood, that once again children are becoming faint within society. As Postman (1994) states that indeed ‘childhood is disappearing at a dazzling speed’. He believes this through the similarity between children’s and adults clothing plus children committing adult crimes for example the two 10 year old boys killing a younger boy. He also argues that children and adults right are becoming very alike and children are sosponsed to adult world through television. This has underlined the faults with modern society’s e.g. uncontrollable media that displays sex, violence to children that are easily manipulated.
Because Postman (1994) focused on detailed factors like television, he forgot about other important factors like the progression on the laws changing for the better and standard of living these also may have contributed to the ‘disappearance of childhood’. Many have argued this and said childhood is not disappearing society has never been so child-centered. Also Opie (1993) argues that the disappearance of childhood is not happening, through the study of children’s games, rhymes and songs she argues there is a strong line present between adults and children. Palmar (2006) believes that childhood today is toxic by computer games, junk food and parents working long hours, She believes this is damaging children’s development for the future. (www.sociologyresources.co.uk)
The UK is one of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced nations on earth. In society today children are blessed with so much, good homes, free education, free medical care etc. But there are ongoing debates that children today are unhappy. According to figures released last month, one in ten now suffers from a clinically-recognised mental health problem, and earlier this year a UNICEF report on "childhood well-being" found that out of 21 nations across the developed world, British children are the unhappiest. (. 27.11.2011). Is this the case children today have the best of most materials objects but Britain is still finding children are not happy. On extreme parenting on channel 4 Jo frost talks about children today are being neglected to material object e.g. television, computer games, Facebook etc. she states that parents only give 49 minutes of their time a day less than a dog would get when going for a walk. Many children have stated that they want more time with their parents but parents are just so busy working, cleaning, shopping ect. Is this affecting children’s behaviour today and have we made children unhappy because they have the best of most things?
‘A damning survey by the National Consumer Council, reported in the Mail, revealed that children who watch too much television and spend hours on the internet are "greedy and unhappy"’.
(. 28.112011)
Many parents find it hard to say no to their children because they feel guilty because parents have worked all week and feel they need to give their children the best. But research is showing giving children what they want permanently is not helping them in later life. Are children’s childhood’s being destroyed by greed and are parents finding it hard to say no to their children because of guilt?
Depending on class, gender, culture and society, all children experience are different and have diverse childhoods. Culturally we have dissimilar views on childhood than other parts of the world yet child prostitution is still wide spread. So does the definition as maybe western society would see childhood? What is culturally accepted in some countries can be seen as shocking or against the rights of the children in our own country. Childhood isn’t the same as the others depending on social and cultural settings childhood changes dramatically.
‘A 'normal' childhood depends on where you live and when you're born’ (. 25.11.2011)
Poverty as a major effect on childhood around the world because of poverty children are not being able to live to their full potential. Some counties like Africa suffer from poverty more than others, in Africa some families are living off less than a pound a day to feed their families. Some families can hold up to seven children which are leading to starvation and even death. Trickle up is a charity trying to help Africa they maintain that people who fall under that poverty line—that's 1/6 of the world’s population, or 1.4 billion people—lack the ability to fulfill basic needs, whether it means eating only one bowl of rice a day or forgoing health care when it’s needed most.
Because poverty in some counties is higher children have to go out and work for food, some work very dangerous. Children in Afghanistan will search through rubbish dumps or weaving in between traffic jams holding up tins filled with toxic smoke. Many children work as domestic servants for the rich, most of the children work up to 15 hours a day for little or no money. India has placed a law to protect children from working but this doesn’t stop children working in firecracker and matchstick factories or are involved in carpet-weaving, needlework or stitching footballs.
Poverty leads children or families to disease, famine, pollution, crime and lack of education making it the roots of the world’s difficulties. This makes is hard to think that these children have a childhood and if they do it is not equal to the rich counties. Charities have been put in place to help poverty but because it is so big, some counties are still affected severely.
Charities have made a big difference in some counties which allows children to have a good education, met their medical needs and feed themselves, to make a fulfilling childhood. 11500 children in the project villages will be helped, along with their families; a total of 40,000 people in the globe giving charity.
Children are provided with diverse childhoods children in Indonesia are taught that social interaction is most important. Children are taught that the use of the true language is vital in their culture which is a sign of social status and respect. The governments of Indonesia do not provide health care, unemployment services, or old age care, so familial bonds and responsibilities are of the utmost importance (Cunningham, 2010).
Roger Neugebauer in Global Trends in ECE discuss In Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia Budapest and Hungary the childcare system has changed leaving families without childcare or not being able to afford childcare. Families that have been most affected by these changes are those with low socioeconomic status, language differences, from a rural area and with challenging personal issues. This leaves families not being able to work to look after their children or parents leaving their children with childcare workers who are not educated. This will have a vast impact on children’s childhoods; children will not be meeting their educational needs and if parents can’t afford childcare parents cannot go to work leaving poverty to conquest.
The conclusion of childhood is based on culture; class and demographic research suggest that childhood is not a biologically valid phase, but a social construction. Childhood as changed immensely in the UK as time has passed with new laws being made to protect children from working. Aries believed childhood none existed within the medieval times through pictures and art he made this consumption. It is proven that children are influenced by society and laws that put in place to help it become a child-centered society. Because of the printing press parents were able to see new ways of rearing their children. Religion had a huge impact on children and physical punishment was accepted in this, but so many children were being abused the laws maintained children are to be protected from physical harm and exploitation.
The ’march of progress view’ seen modern society a better place for children today as child infancy has been reduced and more care for children but this has been agued by the ‘Conflict view’. ‘The Conflict View’ believes it is constructed by society groups, class and gender and children are not better off today as children are being less cared for and unprotected. Aries thought that children watching television is introducing children to the adult world and children are growing up too quickly.
Globally childhood is dissimilar as children are being put through hash circumstances through poverty children have to work in some very bad conditions. Children working have to growing up fast not receiving a childhood also children working are not getting the education they need in later life. Underpinning the effects of poverty in other counties and the affects it is have on children and families.
Word count without references: 2376
Word count with references; 2989
Reference List
Books
Clark, M.R, 2010. Childhood in Society for Early Childhood Studies. Mixed sources. Exeter.
Kehily,M.J. 2009. An Introduction to Childhood Studies. 2rded. London. P.P 8.
K. Sather, 1988/9.Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century child rearing: a matter of discipline, in, Journal of Social History, pp22,
L. Stone, 1990. The Family, Sex and Marriage in England 1500- 1800.Penguin books.
Woodhead, M. 2005. Children and development, in Oates, J., Wood, C. and Grayson, A. (eds) Psychological Development and Early Childhood, Oxford, Blackwell/The Open University.
Websites
Childhood. www.sociologyresources.co.uk/resources/Childhood.pptx.
Accessed 23.11.11
Childhood culture
http://www.open2.net/theinventionofchildhood/culturalchildhoods.html 25.11.2011
Children today http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-468866/Why-children-today-unhappy.html#ixzz1evpvwjoP Accessed 28.11 2011
Cunningham, C. (n.d.). Culture of Indonesia Countries and Their Cultures. http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Indonesia.html Accessed 26.11.2011
Children in poverty
Accessed 25.11.2011
Poverty in Africa http://www.trickleup.org/poverty/extreme-poverty.cfm. Accessed 26.11.2011
Roger Neugebauer in Global Trends in ECE pg 51 http://www.childcareexchange.com/library/5017502.pdf Accessed on the 27.11.2011
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