This essay is for the CIE IAL Sociology course however its knowledge can be transferred to other exam boards such Edexcel, AQA, CIE and OCR.
This essay answers the question
Evaluate the view that the social position of children in the family has improved
Evaluate the view that the social position of children in the family has improved (26
marks)
The position of children in contemporary society has been argued to have improved due to
many factors as they have more recognition in contemporary society with improved social
position across most cultures.
The social position of children in the family has improved through social laws. Laws such as
the child protection law or the safeguarding law allow for children to be safe within the family
and across other institutions. Marxist Donzelot suggests the family is policed through the
upper class agents and are controlled by the policies at a microscopic level. Professionals
such as doctors are by law instructed to report to the police if they for example have a child
patient returning consistently with bruises or signs of harm. These policies ensure children
remain safe within society, showing that their social position has improved.
Children's social position within contemporary society has been improved due to the social
construction of their age as being a separate stage in life. Sociologist Aries argues that
during the preindustrial society, children were treated similarly as adults, being forced to do
adult tasks such as working from a young age. Pilcher hsa found that in contemporary times
given more time for freedom and leisure, as they are in the ‘Golden Ages’. Children are
dedicated in modern society to their own forms of laws, dress code, toys and entertainment,
highlighting the separateness of them with adults, presenting their position within the family
and society to have improved.
The social position within the family of children has improved through the growth of beanpole
families. Due to the rise of women giving less birth in contemporary society, there has been
a rise in beanpole families where couples may have less children compared to two
generations prior. This allows for children to have more attention and care within the family,
as parents are more likely to invest highly in their children regarding their education, leisure
and healthcare, presenting how children's social position in the family is improving
It can be argued that the children's position in the family has not improved due to the
children being consumers of the adult world. Robertson (2001) argues that children are
encouraged to be consumers using goods in modern society that were previously only
available to adults, such as streaming websites like Netflix. This is due to the rise of
technology within the household, where Postman argues childhood is disappearing as the
lines to where childhood ends and adulthood begin has blurred because children are now
exposed to adult content, leading to their innocence age ending early. This is further
supported by Postmodernists where they argue that due to children being consumers of
products, they develop sophisticated cultures where they incorporate adult aspects into their
lives.
Moreover, children's social position in the family can be argued to remain the same as seen
in cultural differences. Punch (2001) studied children in Bolivia and found that from the age
of 5, children are forced to start working, In established first world countries, laws such as
the child labour law would ensure children do not work until they have completed secondary
education. However, it is seen in many parts of the world, children’s role within the family
and society remain the same today as in the preindustrial society. Similarly in Brazil, Hecht
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