The Sociology of Childhood – Topic Overview

Last Updated on May 17, 2017 by

Subtopics

5.1 – To what extent is ‘childhood socially constructed’

5.2 – The March of Progress view of childhood (and parenting) – The Child Centred Family and Society?

5.3 – Toxic Childhood and Paranoid Parenting – Criticisms of ‘The March of Progress View’

5.4 – Is Childhood Disappearing?

5.5 – Reasons for changes to childhood and parenting practices

Key Concepts

• The social construction of childhood

• The golden age of childhood

• Child centred society

• The cult of childhood

• The March of progress view

• Conflict perspective

• Child liberationism

• Age patriarchy

• Acting up

• Acting down

• The disappearance of childhood

• Toxic childhood

Selected Short answer questions

• Suggest three ways in which children are viewed in modern western societies

• Identify two ways in which children’s live are marked out as being separate from adults

• Suggest two ways in which notions of childhood are different in different cultures

• Explain two ways in which childhood differed in the middle ages compared with today

• Suggest three reasons why the position of children has changed over time

• Explain one way in which industrialisation lead to the position of children in society changing

• Suggest two ways in which children’s positions have improved in recent years

• Briefly outline two ways in which gender inequalities exist between different types of children

• Suggest two examples of ethnic inequalities between children

• Suggest two examples.. nationality/ class/ ethnicity/ gender

• Suggest three ways in which adults control children in modern society

• Suggest two ways in which children resist the status of ‘child’

• Suggest two pieces of evidence that childhood is disappearing

• Suggest two reasons why childhood may me disappearing

• Suggest two pieces of evidence that suggest the boundaries between adults and children are stronger than ever

Possible Essays

Assess the view that childhood is disappearing (24)

Examine Sociological Perspectives on changes to childbearing and parenting (24)