Unit 1 SCLY1 - Culture and Identity; Families and Households; Wealth, Poverty and Welfare
Summary
Summary of Families and Households - Topic 1 - Chapter 3 - The social construction of childhood (AS, A-level, and GCSE)
8 views 0 purchase
Course
Unit 1 SCLY1 - Culture and Identity; Families and Households; Wealth, Poverty and Welfare
Institution
AQA
Book
AQA A Level Sociology Book One Including AS Level
In-depth notes on the social construction of childhood. It includes the necessary sociologists and recent statistical data to take your grade to the next level. Exams come pre-highlighted to focus on the essential aspects needed in an essay/exam. These notes are highly recommended if you want to ac...
AQA sociology education: social class, ethnicity and gender differences
Applying material from Item C and your knowledge, evaluate the view that sociology can and should be a science
AQA A level Sociology Families and Households Notes
All for this textbook (120)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
Sociology
Unit 1 SCLY1 - Culture and Identity; Families and Households; Wealth, Poverty and Welfare
All documents for this subject (292)
Seller
Follow
TheShahan
Content preview
Childhood and the social construct-sociologist list
Key:
Heheh-Sociologist Heheh-Important information
The modern west notion of childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- Childhood holds a separate status from adults(in the Western world)
- Childhood is a clear and distinct life stage
- Children are physically and emotionally immature
- Children's lack of skills, knowledge and experience means they need to have a
lengthy, protected period of nurturing
- Emphasised in several ways→different clothes, books, food, toys and et
cetera
- Relates to the ‘Golden age of childhood’→children are full of happiness and
innocence→this means that they are vulnerable to the adult
world(separateness)
- Adults provide for children from the outside world(e.g. education)
● Wagg(1992)
- Childhood is not socially constructed for all societies
- All humans go through the same stages of physical development, but different
cultures influence how they are brought up(different cultures construct
differently
- Western notion of childhood→children are vulnerable and cannot/are unable
to fend for themselves
- Other culture's notions of childhood→children and adults are similar(no large
difference)
Cross-cultural differences in childhood
● Benedict(1934)
- Children in simpler, non-industrial societies are generally treated differently
than they would in the Western world
1
, - Less dividing line between the behaviour/attitudes of children and adults(in
non-industrial cultures)
- Evidence illustrates that childhood is not a fixed aspect of life that is found
universally, but instead is socially constructed and differs from culture to
culture
● Punch(2001)
- Study on Childhood in Rural Bolivia
- Once children are about 5 years old they are expected to work and help out in
the home/community(with no hesitation/questions)
● Holmes(1974)
- Study of the Samoan Village
- There was never an age where it was ‘too young’ to take on tasks and
responsibilities
- If a child wanted to help with certain tasks then they were allowed to
● Firth(1970)
- Study of the Tikopia of the Western Pacific
- Less value is placed on children showing obedience to adult authority
- Doing as you are told by an adult/grown-up is regarded as a concession to be
granted by the child, not a right expected from the adult
● Malinowski(1957)
- Study of the Trobriand Islanders of the south-west Pacific
- Children's sexual behaviour is often viewed differently→adults took an
attitude of ‘tolerance and amused interest’, in children and their sexual
explorations/activities
The globalisation of Western childhood
● Pilcher(1995)
- The Western notion of childhood is being globalised
- The Western notion of childhood→separate life stage, based on the nuclear
family and school, children are innocent, dependent and vulnerable and
have no economic role
- The Western idea of childhood in Third World countries→large campaigns
about childhood ought to be like(e.g protection from child labour)
2
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller TheShahan. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.78. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
