How childhood is socially constructed - Free Essays, Term.
It is mostly held universally, childhood is a stage that biologically existing in human life in early years. It should be considered this childhood is constructed in the society. As a social being, it brings into the mind the relationship between society and child, inevitably.
To begin, childhood is a status that is documented worldwide and throughout history, which sometimes sees the child as innocent,vulnerable, a consumer, a worker alongside other household earners, a threat to society and it is a construction that changes over time and place (Prout, 2005).
Continual varying ideas about children which has led to claims that childhood is a social construction highlights that childhoods are not the same everywhere and that while all societies acknowledge that children are different from adults, how they are different and what expectations are placed on them, change accordingly to the society in which they live (Greene et al, 2005).
Social construction of childhood is grounded in varying conceptions among different cultures, societies and at different time period in history.
The social construction of childhood means that childhood is not natural because it is a concept that has different meanings in different societies. Sociologists agree that children are biologically different to adults but every society gives these biological differences different meanings.
She illustrated that childhood is socially constructed as it changes with the time and with technology but the social construct is slowly removing childhood as a stage overall. This can be seen as children no longer have separate fashion to that of a grown-up; designers have made even infant clothing fashionable consisting of occurring trends.
The social construction of childhood is also illustrated by interpretivist sociologists who point out that the experience of childhood is shaped by the fact that the relationship between parents and children is a two-way process in which the latter can, and do, influence the nature and quality of family life.
Childhood is often described as a social construct because it is not given the same meaning across cultures and time, but is specific to each society.
Not only does the social construct of childhood vary from country to country, it has also massively changed through time. Many sociologists argue that the social construct of childhood is a relativley new invention. Historian Phillip Aries argues that in the middle ages, the concept of childhood did not exist.
It can then be argued that childhood is a social construction. In conclusion, this essay has argued that the ideas about childhood have changed over the centuries due to development of the understanding of it.
Social Construction Of Childhood - The social construction of childhood is the understanding that childhood is not a natural process, instead it emerges from social, historical and cultural practices, (Norozi and Moen, 2016).
The family as a social structure is often taken for granted to mean a married couple with children, possibly incorporating grandparents and directly linked blood relatives. This stereotypical view does not take into account a changing society with changing norms and values.
To define the social construction of childhood we must first explore the many social areas that children are exposed to, which may influence and enrich their worlds. Such areas as, home, school, clubs, friendships, hobbies, and groups all provide diverse influences on young people and help shape how they construct experiences into scripts that make sense to them.
