4.4.3

Childhood as a Social Construct

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Childhood as a Social Construction

Childhood is known as a social construction: the meaning varies over time and differs between cultures.

Childhood changing through history

Childhood changing through history

  • Historically, children from working-class families were employed from an early age whilst the children of wealthy families experienced something more akin to what we now class as ‘childhood’.
  • It is therefore important to recognise that the definition of childhood is not universal in time or place.
  • However, Gittins argues that children today have different experiences of childhood depending on their class, gender and ethnic origin.
Children in Pakistan/Bangladesh

Children in Pakistan/Bangladesh

  • According to the ONS, in February 2020, children raised in Pakistani and Bangladeshi homes were more likely to live in low-income households (2.8 and 2.4 times respectively).
  • Children in Pakistani and Bangldeshi homes were also more likely to experience material deprivation than their white counterparts.
**Brannen and Bhatti**

Brannen and Bhatti

  • Julia Brannen’s study revealed that children of Asian origin are more likely to make their beds and complete household chores. Asian girls with mothers in full-time employment were also likely to perform tasks involving caring for the family as well as themselves on top of household chores.
  • Brannen and Bhatti also found that girls were under stricter parental controls than their brothers.
**Statham and Owens** etc

Statham and Owens etc

  • Statham and Owens argue that there are a disproportionate number of black and ethnic minority children in care and on child protection registers.
  • Hillman et al completed a study called ‘One False Move’, exploring the travel patterns and personal responsibility of school children aged 7 to 15. The findings discovered that these movements were reducing, suggesting that childhood is being extended due to parental concerns over safety.
**Jens Bonke**

Jens Bonke

  • Jens Bonke studied children’s housework, looking for any differences in contributions between girls and boys.
  • Results show that boys contributed less towards household chores than girls, especially in lone-parent families where they contribute five times more than their male counterparts.
  • This suggests that gender and class are both factors at play.

Perceptions of Childhood Across Cultures

Perception of childhood varies widely across the world in relation to different cultures.

Western vs developing societies

Western vs developing societies

  • Typically, Western societies have a prolonged period of childhood in relation to other cultures, perpetuating the concept that it is a social construct.
  • In developing countries in particular, the luxury of a period of childhood can be entirely absent with transition to adulthood happening almost immediately. This can be as a result of working from an early age in industrial or agricultural industries or in some cases, as child soldiers.
**Wagg** & **Punch**

Wagg & Punch

  • Conversely, children in western societies are largely protected by legislation and often encounter a more privileged experience altogether through a child-centric approach.
  • Wagg supports this ideology, arguing that everyone’s experience of childhood is different as it is a social construct.
  • Samantha Punch’s study of children growing up in rural Bolivia found that their academic achievements and school attendance were impeded by a number of factors, including their work responsibilities.
**Katz’s** study on childhood

Katz’s study on childhood

  • Katz’s longitudinal, ethnographic study examines children’s lives in a Sudanese village and working-class families in Harlem, New York.
  • Katz discovered that, despite the apparent disparate experiences, similarities could be drawn between the two cultures in a changing, capitalist environment. The low-skilled young people faced poor job prospects, having experienced limited education.
**Judith Ennew**

Judith Ennew

  • Judith Ennew argues that some children’s experiences of childhood are very different from those living in the western world.
  • She found wide variations in terms of factors such as work, living conditions and sexual exploitation.
Jump to other topics
1

Theory & Methods

1.1

Sociological Theories

1.1.1Marxism1.1.2Feminism1.1.3Social Action Theories
1.2

Sociological Methods

1.2.1Types of Data1.2.2Positivism & Interpretivism1.2.3Research Design1.2.4Research Considerations1.2.5Values in Research1.2.6Modernity & Post-Modernity1.2.7Sociology as a Science1.2.8Sociology & Social Policy1.2.9End of Topic Test - Sociology Methods & Theories
1.3

Sources of Data

1.3.1Introduction1.3.2Experiments1.3.3Surveys1.3.4Longitudinal Studies1.3.5Questionnaires1.3.6Types of Questionnaires1.3.7Interviews1.3.8Observation1.3.9Case Studies1.3.10Documents1.3.11Official Statistics1.3.12End of Topic Test - Sources of Data
2

Education with Methods in Context

2.1

Role & Function of the Education System

2.1.1Introduction2.1.2Functionalist Theories2.1.3Marxist & Feminist Theories2.1.4The New Right
2.2

Educational Achievement

2.2.1Social Class: Internal Factors2.2.2Social Class: External Factors2.2.3Social Class: Attitudes to Education2.2.4Social Class: Difference in Achievement2.2.5Gender2.2.6Ethnicity
2.3

Relationships & Processes Within Schools

2.3.1Processes2.3.2Labelling2.3.3Categorisations2.3.4Student Experience2.3.5End of Topic Test -Education with Methods
2.4

Educational Policies

2.4.1Equality2.4.2Privatisation2.4.3Marketisation2.4.4Government Policies by Party2.4.5Globalisation2.4.6End of Topic Test- Educational Policies2.4.7Practice Exam Question - Social Policies
3

Option 1: Culture & Identity

3.1

Conceptions of Culture

3.1.1Culture3.1.2Mass Culture3.1.3Popular Culture3.1.4Global Culture3.1.5End of Topic Test - Culture and Identity
3.2

Identity & Socialisation

3.2.1Identities3.2.2Socialisation3.2.3Secondary Socialisation3.2.4Theories of Socialisation3.2.5End of Topic Test - Identity3.2.6Practice Exam Question - Socialisation & Equality
3.3

Social Identity

3.3.1Social Class3.3.2Upper & Middle Class3.3.3Working & Underclass3.3.4Social Class Evaluation3.3.5Gender3.3.6Changing Gender Identities3.3.7Ethnicity3.3.8Age3.3.9Disability3.3.10Nationality3.3.11End of Topic Test - Social Identity
3.4

Production, Consumption & Globalisation

3.4.1Production & Consumption3.4.2Globalisation3.4.3Evaluation3.4.4End of Topic Test - Production
4

Option 1: Families & Households

4.1

Families & Households

4.1.1Definitions4.1.2Functionalist & New Right Perspectives4.1.3Marxist & Feminist Perspectives4.1.4Postmodernist Perspective4.1.5End of Topic Test - Families & Households4.1.6Practice Exam Question - Function of Family
4.2

Changing Patterns

4.2.1Marriage4.2.2Divorce4.2.3LAT Relationships4.2.4Child-Bearing4.2.5Lone Parenthood4.2.6Diversity4.2.7The Sociology of Personal Life4.2.8Government Policies Post-WW24.2.9End of Topic Test - Changing Patterns
4.3

The Symmetrical Family

4.3.1The Symmetrical Family4.3.2Evaluation
4.4

Children & Childhood

4.4.1Childhood4.4.2Childhood in the UK4.4.3Childhood as a Social Construct4.4.4The Disappearance of Childhood4.4.5Child Abuse4.4.6Domestic Violence4.4.7End of Topic Test - Family & Childhood
4.5

Demographic Trends UK

4.5.1Introduction4.5.2Birth Rates4.5.3Death Rates4.5.4The Ageing Population4.5.5Studies on the Ageing Population4.5.6Migration4.5.7Globalisation4.5.8End of Topic Test - Demographics UK
5

Option 1: Health

5.1

Social Constructions

5.1.1The Body5.1.2Health, Illness & Disease5.1.3Disability5.1.4Models of Health & Illness5.1.5End of Topic Test - Social Constructions
5.2

Social Distribution of Healthcare

5.2.1Social Class5.2.2Gender5.2.3Ethnicity5.2.4Regional
5.3

Provision & Access to Healthcare

5.3.1The NHS5.3.2Inequalities in Provision5.3.3Sociological Explanations5.3.4Inequalities in Access5.3.5Inequalities in Access 25.3.6End of Topic Test - Distribution Health
5.4

Mental Health

5.4.1The Biomedical Approach5.4.2Social Patterns5.4.3Social Constructionist Approach
5.5

The Globalised Health Industry

5.5.1The Functionalist Approach5.5.2The Postmodernist Approach5.5.3The Globalised Health Industry5.5.4End of Topic Test - Mental Health & Globalisation
6

Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare

6.1

Poverty & Wealth

6.1.1Types of Poverty6.1.2Types of Poverty 26.1.3Distribution of Wealth UK6.1.4Sociological Theories6.1.5Sociological Theories 26.1.6Distribution of Poverty UK6.1.7End of Topic Test - Poverty & Wealth
6.2

Welfare

6.2.1The Welfare State6.2.2Theoretical Approaches to Welfare
6.3

Labour Process

6.3.1Nature of Work6.3.2Technology & Control6.3.3Work & Life6.3.4The Effects of Globalisation6.3.5Globalisation & Worklessness6.3.6End of Topic Test - Welfare & Labour
7

Option 2: Beliefs in Society

7.1

Ideology, Science & Religion

7.1.1Types of Religion7.1.2Ideology & Belief Systems7.1.3Social Stability & Religion7.1.4Social Change & Religion7.1.5End of Topic Test - Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2

Religious Movements

7.2.1Religious Organisations7.2.2New Religious Movements7.2.3New Age Movements7.2.4Practice Exam Question - Growth of NRMs
7.3

Society & Religion

7.3.1Social Groups & Religion7.3.2Gender & Religion7.3.3End of Topic Test- Religious Movements & Society
7.4

Contemporary Religion

7.4.1Secularisation UK7.4.2Against Secularisation7.4.3Secularisation US7.4.4Fundamentalism7.4.5Economic Development & Religion7.4.6End of Topic - Contemporary Religion
8

Option 2: Global Development

8.1

Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality

8.1.1Development8.1.2Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2

Globalisation & Global Organisations

8.2.1Globalisation8.2.2Transnational Corporations & International Agency8.2.3Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
8.3

Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation

8.3.1Development: Aid & Trade8.3.2Development: Industrialisation & Urbanisation8.3.3Development: Environment & War
9

Option 2: The Media

9.1

Contemporary Media

9.1.1New Media9.1.2Control of the Media9.1.3Sociological Approaches: New Media9.1.4Globalisation9.1.5News Selection9.1.6Moral Panics9.1.7End of Topic Test - Contemporary Media
9.2

Media Representations

9.2.1Age9.2.2Social Class & Ethnicity9.2.3Gender9.2.4Sexuality & Disability9.2.5Practice Exam Questions - Presentation of Women
9.3

Audiences

9.3.1Media Theories9.3.2Media Theories 29.3.3Media Representations & Audiences
10

Crime & Deviance

10.1

Crime & Society

10.1.1Functionalism10.1.2Subcultural Theory10.1.3Marxism10.1.4Realism10.1.5Other Approaches10.1.6End of Topic Test - Crime & Society10.1.7Practice Exam Questions - Social Construction
10.2

Social Distribution of Crime

10.2.1Ethnicity10.2.2Gender10.2.3Globalisation & Crime10.2.4Media & Crime10.2.5Types of Crimes10.2.6End of Topic Test - Social Distribution of Crime
10.3

Prevention & Punishment

10.3.1Surveillance10.3.2Prevention10.3.3Punishment10.3.4Victimology10.3.5End of Topic Test - Prevention & Punishment

Practice questions on Childhood as a Social Construct

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What does NOT affect childrens' experience of childhood, according to **Gittins**?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What were Julia Brannen's findings about childhood?Fill in the list
  3. 3
    What were Jens Bonke's findings on children's housework?Fill in the list
  4. 4
    What is childhood typically like in Western cultures vs other cultures?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    **Judith Ennew** found variations in children's experiences of childhood in terms of... Fill in the list
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Childhood in the UK

The Disappearance of Childhood