Gittens describes children as a luxury to be encouraged by adults and like a luxury people talk about to ‘afford’ a child. Certainly, raising children today extremely expensive and can last until their early 20‘s.
The Functionalist Musgrove, “Youth and Social Order” says that modern society children are of no economic use because compulsory education up tp the age of 20 and because of laws, which control the work, that under 16’s can does. In our society children are seen as dependent and weak. Modern industrialisation society requires complex skills and so children have to under go a long process of socialisation and education and skilling which makes childhood in Britain last for as much as 16 years. In the past when children had an economic role their was no need for concept of childhood they were just mini-adults.
Marxist say that childhood is socially constructed because the bourgeoisie need a better-educated and skilled work force to cope with complex machines and follow instructions. The family provided food, shelter and clothing and by paying taxes provides education and healthcare for these who will be the next generation of workers. All of this benefits bourgeoisie at all most no expense to them. “The ideology of responsibility of parents” ensures that parents make sacrifices to bring up their children. Therefore, the bourgeoisie benefit from the concept of childhood.
The New Right for example Cox and Bayson say that children need disciplined and control and with out it they can become selfish and criminal. If children are strictly controlled then society will become well ordered.
Hood Williams disagrees with The New Right and believes that children are controlled and apressed by the family and education and so for him childhood is a unpleasant experience.
The way childhood I experienced varies based on social class and gender. A quarter of all children in Britain today live in families at or below low-income support level. In other words relatively poverty. The Feminist Oakley says that childhood is a different experience for boys and girls and this experience is socially constructed as children are prepared for stereotypical gender roles with girls playing with dolls and boys playing with cars and helping out with DIY.
Childhood for street children of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a life of begging, theft, prostitution and street trading. This is very different childhood to a middle-class child in England.
Childhood is socially constructed but the experience differs based on social class, gender and support levels (poverty). Feminist Oakley says that childhood of boys and girls are socially controlled in different ways largely based on stereotype, gender role with girls helping with housework and playing with dolls and boys playing with cars and construction toys.
The experience of childhood is socially constructed but this does not mean that they have the same experience. Their have huge difference based on country, class and gender.