This is drastically different from our notion of childhood today and therefore we can see how childhood adapts to fit the culture it is in. In the middle ages, pre-industrial Britain, more workers were needed in factories and so children were workers. As children were workers, they did not require an education, and just needed to do labour like adults. Their responsibilities were the same as adults which made them adopt this ‘mini adult’ status. So, it is easy to see that the needs of society economically are a factor that contributes to the construction of childhood.
Examine the ways in which childhood can be said to be socially constructed. (24 marks) Some sociologists see childhood as socially constructed, which means that it is something created and defined by society. They argue that the positions children occupy in society are not fixed, but differ with regards to cultures, places and times. It is generally accepted today that children are different from adults. There is a belief that children’s lack of knowledge, experience and skills call for them to be nurtured and socialised for a protected time before they are ready for adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it.
Sociologists say that childhood socially constructed (which means that it is created and defined by society). They say that the position children have in society is not permanently fixed, it changes over time. This is obvious by looking at how childhood is seen in other cultures and the past. It is accepted in our society now that childhood should be a special time of life, children are seen as being different from adults so should be treated differently because they are physically and psychologically immature and are not able to be dependent. So they are seen to need a lengthy period of time where they are nurtured and socialised before they are seen as responsible adults in society.
I believe the Cultural Deviance Theory relate because youth from a lower class environment have their own lifestyle and set up their own rules and values. Walter Miller identified the unique value system. Conformance to these focal concerns dominate life among the lower class. Social conditions make youth incapable of achieving success legitimately, lower class youths experience a form of cultural conflict. Socialization can be a part of why he did what he did as well which is a part of the Social Process Theory.
Parsons explains that if any of these fails then the family will not be equilibrium with other social systems in the United States (Morimoto, 2013). Parsons states that “The basic and irreducible functions of the family are two: the primary socialization of children so that they can truly become members of the society into which they have been born; second, the stabilization of the adult personalities of the population of the society” (Appelrouth & Edles, 2012). Parson believed it was important that children should be socialized into
To what extent is childhood a social construct? Social construct = a socially created aspect of life. Social constructionalists argue that human beings actively and creatively produce society. Childhood is an example of a social construct as it is not a natural or a biological state therefore being socially constructed. The understanding of children is that they are not the same everywhere and they are different from adults, how they are different, and the expectations placed on them differ depending on the society they live in.
Trying to imagine a world where all humans had equal opportunities to resources such as food, employment, education and the like is quite a difficult task. This is simply attributed to the fact that complete equality is something that probably does not exist in the world. In every human society we find some level of ‘social order’ which classifies people according to certain criteria and this in turn determines the kind of lifestyle and life chances that they have. In this essay social class as a form of social stratification will be discussed and how it influences one’s lifestyle and the various opportunities awarded to one. The concept of stratification and class will be defined, followed by a discussion of the various ways in which ones social class impacts their life.
The state is also divided into three types of people, the workers, soldiers and the rulers. It is pretty obvious that sort of division seems awkward when we look at our own capitalist society. We have to keep in mind that in the republic that Plato is describing that each person is directed lead by education and the utmost care towards the work that they are to do all there might. The children in Plato’s republic are separated from their parents at birth and therefore get the same equal chance of becoming workers or rulers without any prejudice or family background getting in the way. The workers are the people that are best fitted to practice a specific form of labor.
This is particularly important in industrial society with its increasingly complex and specialised division of labour. With pre industrial society, occupational skills were passed on from parents to children without the need of a proper education. Industrial society, social solidarity is based on interdependence of
Role of education Darcy Fletcher Functionalists believe education performs two contradictory functions , on one hand they believe that educations prepares children for their specialised role acquired to their skills and potential. So they can perform at the best they can at their role after education. On the contrary they believe society needs to share the same goals and outlook in order to co-operate. Functionalism is based on the view that society is a system of interdependant parts which is held together by value consensus. Durkheim argued that society has to feel a sense of social solidarity , he believes that without this form of social cohesion , society would be impossible because each person would pursue their own ‘ selfish’ desires.