4.4.3
Childhood as a Social Construct
Childhood as a Social Construction
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.
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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
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.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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