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Childhood Essay

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Examine different sociological views on changes in the experience of childhood in the past 50 years or so. (24 marks) Childhood is something that is difficult to define; many sociologists see it as something that is “socially constructed” (IE something that is created, shaped and defined by society.) Many people argue that the position of children in society isn’t fixed, but it changes as there are changes within societies, between societies and through time. Childhood in society nowadays in comparison to childhood in the past and in other societies is very different. Although it is evident that childhood has changed a lot in the last 50 years or so, there are many sociological views on whether these changes are good or not.
Functionalists believe that society is like a human body, where if one aspect doesn’t work properly, society as a whole will collapse. They believe that childhood has improved over the last 50 years or so. They think that childhood is socially constructed and varies as society changes. For example, in the 19th century, child labour was part of every day life for almost all families and education was only available to the wealthy. In that day and age, children were seen as “mini adults” as they dressed like their parents, worked in similar jobs to the rest of their family and had to behave like adults. Functionalist sociologists argue that over the past few centuries, the position of children within society and the family has steadily improved. Aries studied the social construction of childhood and believes that today’s children are better cared for, protected and

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