Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Has the position of
children improved
- March Of Progress View
- Position of children in western societies
has been steadily improving & now
better than ever before.
- Aires & Shorter hold this view, children
are now more valued, better cared for,
protected & educated.
- From, harm &
exploitation, child
abuse laws, child
labour.
- Have professionals for
education & medical needs.
- Higher standards of
living & smaller families,
afford to provide for
children properly.
- Family has become
child-centred. Focal point of
the family, consulted on
decisions. Parents invest
time & money. Have high
aspirations to have a better
life.
- Babies have better
chance of survival due
to healthcare.
- Much media output & leisure
activities are designed
specifically for children. So
society is also child-centred.
- Conflict View
- Age patriarchy
- Gittins. Describes
inequalities between adults
& children.
- Adult domination,
child dependency.
- Sometimes children try
to resist this, smoke,
drink sexual activity.
- Power may assert itself in
the form of violence.
- Criticisms. Children may not be
able to make rational decisions,
cannot safe guard themselves.
Not totally powerless, as they
have laws protecting them &
consulting them.
- Marxists & feminists reject the
march of progress view.
- Inequalities among
children, opportunities &
risks.
- Children experience great
control from adults.
- Inequalities among children
- Different
nationalities are
likely to have
different
experiences.
- Hillman. Gender
differences, boys
more likely to cross
or cycle on roads.
- Bonke. Girls do
more domestic
labour, especially in
lone parent families,
do 5 times the
amount than boys.
- Brannen. Ethinic
differences, Asian parents
were more likely to be strict
towards their daughters.
- Bhatti. Idea of 'family
honour' can be a restriction.
- Class inequalities,
poor mothers liekly to
have low weight
children causing
delayed
development.
- Woodroffe. Children of
unskilled workers are 3
times more likely to be
hyperactive.
- Howard. Poor family
children, more likely to
die in infancy.
- Inequalities between children & adults
- Firestone & Holt, protection
form paid work, is a form of
inequality. Forcibly segregating
children. More dependent and
be controlled more.
- Child Liberationism
- Neglect & abuse. Extreme type of
control. Childline gets over 20,000
calls a year. 'Dark side' to the family.
- Controls over their space.
Highly regulated.
Forbidden to play in some
areas. Road safety,
stranger danger.
- Controls over their time. Daily
routines, control speed at which they
grow up. Whether a child is too old,
or too young for an activity.
Contrasts with the Samoan view of
no 'too young'.
- Controls over bodies. Style, sit, walk
run, hair, piercings. Touched in
certain ways. May be disciplined by
smacking.
- Control over access to
resources. Limited
opportunities to earn
money, remain dependent
on adults.
- Labour laws & schooling, child
benefit goes straight to parent,
pocket money depends on
behaviour (restrictions on
spending.