Social Construction Of Childhood Essay

569 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: To what extent is childhood socially constructed

Childhood is the period of time where a child is not an adult, and is experiencing situations that generally only children will experience. For many years there has been a debate between sociologists as to whether childhood still exists or whether it is deteriorating. There is also the debate between whether childhood is a social construct or not. The concept of social construction is that where a society shapes something into what they believe is the normal way of life, this varies from culture to culture, meaning that childhood is a social construct. Where some societies value children as economic benefiters who help them bring in an income, others value children as members of the family who should be protected and brought up as children. …show more content…

He studied a range of paintings from previous eras and noticed that the concept of childhood has only existed over the last 300 years. By looking at these paintings, he found a pattern that showed that children were ‘mini-adults’ in middle age England, and that they were used as tools to bring in an income for their families. In today’s society, this is noticeably different due to government policies and laws that have been issued in order to protect children. For example, it is illegal for under-age children to work and education has been made compulsory.

The march of progress is a concept found by some sociologists who believe that childhood is positively changing, and that children are now experiencing a better life in their younger years. Society is becoming a better place for children to grow up and is also becoming more child-centred, as children are now being protected by the education system and government policies that allow them to live the childhood that they deserve. For example, The Children’s Act states that a child can be removed from their family, by the state, if it appears that the family is unsuitable or incapable of raising the

Show More
Related

  • North American Slavery vs. Latin American Slavery: A Comparative Look at Frederick Douglass and Juan Francisco Manzano

    2190 Words  | 5 Pages

    Childhood is a period of maturation when our personalities begin to develop into the type of individuals we will eventually become. This is a crucial time where our identities are forming based upon how we are treated by those around us. +If a child is often handled as a burden that individual will take on a negative persona. In the case of children living under the dark hands of slavery, it was impossible to have a normal childhood. A slave's parents were always off conducting laborious tasks, or they were sold away...

    Read More

  • The Changes of Canadian Children Since the 1800's

    1810 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children were strong and ambitious. They were the money makers of the family. This paper will argue how the mindset of a child has advanced in Canada, through the 1800s to the present era, in representing a different perspective of how a child evaluates the perception of how they approach life. Canada holds many histories of the past. The differences with children from to the past to the present are that children worked and produced a lot of labor, to keep the families from starving through the 1800s, present children rarely need to work. The educational system of the past has differed a great deal from the system they have created thought out the times that have developed. Children would use their imagination to create games and play, until the generation of television came into effect. Times have changed and children are one of the many. The social construction of childhood from the 1800s is a whole lot different from the construction of childhood from the 1970s. The agenda of children have changed and adults are not concerned with children working because the standard of living in families has developed a whole new concept, for how families should live life.

    Read More

  • Centuries Of Childhood By Philippe Aries

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aries argues Childhood is a relatively new concept that emerged around the seventeenth century, concomitant with such developments as a decrease in infant mortality, changes in the European educational system, increasing class stratification, and a gradual withdrawal of the family from a wider web of social relation. In a controversial claim, Aries argument regarding the “discovery” of childhood in seventeenth century in much debated point which is “in medieval society the idea of childhood did not exist”(Aries, 125). This claim has been both enthusiastically adopted and categorically dismissed by scholar from various disciplines. Hugh Cunningham points out that the English translation of Aries’s text uses the term “idea” where Aries himself uses the term “sentiment” which carries two meaning: “the sense of a feeling about childhood as well as a concept of it” (Cunningham 30).

    Read More

  • Socially Constructed Childhood

    2173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Also in China girls are made to bind there feet up at an early age so

    Read More

  • Childhood as a Social and Historical Construction

    2111 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to Philippe Aris a famous sociologist who studied childhood saw it as a social and historical construction (Montgomery 2009) he believed childhood did not really exist until the sixtieth century before that children had been treated as small and inadequate adults (Penn 2008). Sociologist Rinaldi also believed that it is society and different times in history that created childhood (Neaum 2010) Mayall believes children lives are lived through childhoods constructed for them by adults understanding of children and what children are and should be (Kehily 2009) a sociologist who has a different idea would be James and Prout 1990 who believe childhood is both ...

    Read More

  • Early Childhood Philosophy Essay

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the perspective I have at this stage in my journey in the early childhood education field, I would like to share what I have come to value and believe in regards to early learning and care by looking at my philosophy statement. To begin we will look at the statement and highlight three key features and find out why they are important to me, then we will see what they will look like in my practice, and lastly we will examine these ideas closely by looking at where they originated. By taking an in-depth look at my philosophy statement we will better understand the motivation behind my practice which I hope to continue to refine and refresh as I gain more knowledge and experience.

    Read More

  • The Social Construction of Childhood

    2204 Words  | 5 Pages

    While all societies acknowledge that children are different from adults, how they are different, changes, both generationally and across cultures. “The essence of childhood studies is that childhood is a social and cultural phenomenon” (James, 1998). Evident that there are in fact multiple childhoods, a unifying theme of childhood studies is that childhood is a social construction and aims to explore the major implications on future outcomes and adulthood. Recognizing childhood as a social construction guides exploration through themes to a better understanding of multiple childhoods, particularly differences influencing individual perception and experience of childhood. Childhood is socially constructed according to parenting style by parents’ ability to create a secure parent-child relationship, embrace love in attitudes towards the child through acceptance in a prepared environment, fostering healthy development which results in evidence based, major impacts on the experience of childhood as well as for the child’s resiliency and ability to overcome any adversity in the environment to reach positive future outcomes and succeed.

    Read More

  • Perspective on Childhood as a Social Construct: Historically and Today

    2367 Words  | 5 Pages

    James, Jenks and Prout (1998) argue that childhood is characterised by sets of cultural values whereby the ‘…western childhood has become a period of social dependency, asexuality, and the obligation to be happy, with children having the right to protection and training but not to social or personal autonomy’ (James, Jenks and Prouts 1998 pg. 62). Here, childhood is described in sets of distinguished features and these features imply that the concept childhood may vary from place, culture and time. Therefore suggesting that there is no fixed or universal experience of childhood, for example, childhood in the medieval UK will be extremely different to the childhood in modern UK and therefore it varies over time, place and culture. Since the definition and state of childhood may vary depending on our cultural and historical background, some sociologist claim that childhood is not just biological, but must have been socially constructed for a specific society needs at a particular time. In this essay, I will attempt to explore ways in which childhood is said to be socially constructed by looking at historical childhood and how it has led to construction of modern childhood in the modern society. I will also explore the agency of children as competent social actors able to construct their social world.

    Read More

  • John Locke Childhood Essay

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this essay I will be discussing my concept of childhood and how it compares to my understanding of the theories and concepts of John Locke and John Wesley. I have chosen to look at these two theorists as although they lived in similar times their theories and concepts on children were influenced by very different factors and so differ greatly from each other and in most respects differ from my own concepts. My concept of childhood is influenced by personal experience and the views of my parent.

    Read More

  • Childhood Essay

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is childhood? To some its the upbringing and quality of life given to the child within the first several years of the child's life. In its simplest form, childhood is classified as the age span which ranges from birth to adolescence. During those years of childhood, most children go through various different physical and cognitive changes. According to the famous cognitive developmental theorist Jean Piaget, in psychology, childhood consists of four separate stages of development. Those stages are sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. The sensorimotor stage extends from both to when the child first starts to grasp the concept of language. In the pre-operational stage is when the child starts

    Read More

  • Child Development Essay

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, fathers have had a profound effect on their child’s development. Over the years, the norm for traditional family dynamics of having a father figure in the household has changed drastically, and so did the roles of the parents. It is not as common as it used to be to have a father or father figure in the home. In this day and age, women are more likely to raise children on their own and gain independence without the male assistance due to various reasons. The most significant learning experience and development of a person’s life takes place in their earlier years when they were children. There are many advantages when there is a mother and father combined in a

    Read More

  • Graduation Speech: Thank You!

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    A childhood is the delicate phase of every adolescent's life where they must mature into their own person, with their own responsibilities. Although every individual will eventually bloom with their own personality, morals, and perspectives, the education and values we learn and see along the way add to the fingers that mold. We begin when we are born, and are taken in by strangers. These priceless people show us love, and just how strong attachments can be. Family ties snare us in their loving webs and become the support network to catch us throughout our youthful falls. They are our first real pictures of people, and their actions and emotions immediately become examples.

    Read More

  • Influence Of Child Development

    1505 Words  | 4 Pages

    Childhood is defined as the period in human development between infancy and adulthood(book). In a historical perspective, this is relatively new social construction. Early childhood most often refers to the months and years between infancy and school age children. Child development is influenced by a lot of factors. These factors influence a child both in positive ways that can enhance their development and in negative ways that can change developmental outcomes. To understand why childhood is such a crucial time in human life it is important to study the development before and after birth along with any factors that may alter life in between.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Childhood And Adulthood

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    Childhood and adulthood are two different periods of one’s lifetime but equally important. Childhood is the time in everybody’s life when they are growing up to be an adult. This is when they are being considered babies because of their youthfulness and innocence. Adulthood is the period of time where everybody is considered “grown up,” usually they begin to grow up around the ages of eighteen or twenty-one years old but they do remain to develop during this time. However, in some different backgrounds, not everybody is not fully adults until they become independent with freedom, responsible for their own actions, and able to participate as an adult within society. Although childhood and adulthood are both beneficial to our lives, both periods share some attributes such as independence, responsibility, and innocence that play distinctive roles in our development.

    Read More

  • Childhood Memories Essay

    724 Words  | 2 Pages

    Childhood is the most unforgettable period of my life. Everyone has childhood memories. My childhood memories took place in Eritrea. These memories that are happiest and saddest memories are still in my mind. Sometimes I remember things that have happened in my childhood period and they just make me laugh. Childhood memories can be bad or good, but we can’t forget them. For these reasons, childhood memories are the most important parts of my life. Specifically, also I have some good memories of childhood.

    Read More

More about Social Construction Of Childhood Essay

Open Document