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Childhood is a life stage of an individual's life which includes their background and upbringing. Childhood itself is a socially constructed ideology.

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-Adventurous

-Talkative

-Cheerful

-Playful

-Adorable

-Spirited

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We have moved away from a culture that did not recognise childhood to one that is obsessed with it.

--> 20th century = century of the child

Change is because of industrialisation and the opportunities that came with it:

Compulsory schooling

Child protection legislation = The Children Act 1898

Positions of children now and developments = improved children's lives // better education and health and rights

Family= child-centred, no longer to be seen and not heard like In victorian time

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Childhood only came around when the spread of literacy meant adults could shield and protect their children from parts of adult life e.g. sex and violence. This led to the disappearance of childhood.

Childhood only exists when a child is very distinct from the adult world + protected from it.

2 reasons = dissapering

Media (TV, newspapers + internet) = makes sure children are not protected from anything (a line between child/adulthood blurred) // can access sex, violence etc.

The distinction has also become blurred which increases the rights of children and how they are treated. Children have more power and rights = protection.

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Rapid social and technological changes (media, intro. of fast food) = damaged children and led them to be physically/emotionally/ socially damaged.

Many children = are obese, take drugs, self-harm, and are sexually active // they are more like adults and childhood has disappeared.

Childrens innocence are underthreat

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Childhood disappearing = falling death and birth rates = ageing population (pop. over 65y)

Money and support is not going to help children but goes to the old. Also as a result of a child centred society families are having fewer children

Children = isolated and lonely

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Children in non industrialised countries

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take responsibility at young age e.g. Bolivia = once there 5 start to work

less value placed on children= shows obedience to adult authority; the Tikopia of western pacific = child doesn't have to do what adult says, have a choice

children sexual behaviour viewed differently = The Trobriand islanders off west pacific = took an amused interest in sexual activity of children

The western notion of the child; vulnerable + in need of protection = globalised

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a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood's independence which ranges from 10-19.

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-immature

-inexperienced

-juvenile

-pubescence

-young

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teenagers = condemned more frequently than they are praised by the mass media

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Media reporting of youth often erupted into moral panics. //Young people in subcultures e.g. teddy boys, mods, hippies, punks, goths and hoodies = stigmatised/ demonized. Negative stereotypes = targeted by police/ courts

Studies of young people= generation gap implied by media moral panic is exaggerated

Most people are generally conformist (a person who conforms to accepted behaviour or established practices) = get on with parents + place values on traditional concepts

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affluence impacted upon the lives of the working class

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had more money than ever= spend on leisure and consumer goods, fashion, music, socialising

changing the way identity was formed, reliant on the consumption of good not job status

affluence of Brittan 1950/60s reflected in popular culture

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one of the first youth subcultural groups to emerge in Britain in the 1960’s

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The Rockers were bikers who wore black leather jackets and other motorcycle-related attire.

The Mods rode scooters and dressed in suits and neat clothing.

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Deviants/deviance are created by powerful agencies

of social control = looked to the media to provide the reasoning as to why deviance exists // media creates certain groups deviant

- He focused his attention on society's reaction to the

reports of disturbances involving Mods and Rockers over

the Easter weekend in 1964.

--> media portrays mods and rockers as chaos (front page news) + public concern and moral panic // = increased policing and higher levels of public concern.

Moral panic

"a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests (1987)"

= increased policing, more crime committed because more reported not actual committing + self fulfilling prophecy.

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newspaper reports about hoodies between 2004and 2008,

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Only one article used the word 'hoodie' (National Papers 2004) // 'hoodie' = young thug

A year later, the Bluewater Shopping Centre caused outrage amongst the public by banning its shoppers from wearing baseball caps.

This was followed by Tony Blair’s campaign to clamp down on antisocial behaviour perpetrated by ‘hoodies’ = ao this became a commonly used term (especially in 2005-7) // articles would often say the word hoodie in the headline, but there would be no reference in the story about whether the

The young thug was actually wearing one, it was just presumed.

Now hoodies have become a symbol of mischief + sales on hoodies declined as young people thought wearing them would upset people in authority.

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Young adult= ages 18 to 26 Middle age= aged about 45 to 65.

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-Maturity

-Adulthood

-Settled

-Busy

-Working

-Aging

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period between leaving the parental home and middle age.

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modern societies like the UK have private and public ‘markers’ which signify the beginning of adult identity

-private markers = might include a first sexual encounter or first cigarette.

-public markers include the

right to vote or the approval of a bank loan.

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young adulthood as bound up with having freedom and independence from parents,

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Control over material resources and responsibilities

The decision to move out of the parental home, to cohabit, to get engaged, to get married, to have children and so on.

= End of formal education and decision to go onto a career path

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this time period has a higher status than youth or old age // young adults have begun to establish themselves in professions+ are valuable/responsible

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this time period has a higher status than youth or old age because middle aged people tend to run the country and hold the jobs of most status.

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There is some disagreement as to when middle age begins...

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Believe as low as 35 years and other suggest may be over 50

Physical attributes of middle age include greying hair, the appearance of ‘middle-aged spread’ and the menopause in women.

Social indicators include children leaving home for university and more money for leisure pursuits.

May also be emotional or psychological

indicators, i.e. the mid-life crisis.

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officially and legally begins at 65 years in the UK,

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-senior

-incapable

-elderly

-unemployed

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Increasing life expectancy and change in attitudes, tastes and behaviour, we should differentiate between the ‘young old’ (aged 65–74), the ‘middle-aged old’ (aged 75–84), and the ‘old old’ (aged 85+).

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Compared to other places the elderly in the UK are not accorded much respect or status, because work is a big indicator of status.

Loss of work due to retirement = loss in self-esteem, social contacts and income,+ rise in loneliness, poverty, depression and poor health.

People are often stereotyped and discriminated against because of their age = ageism

--> expressed in 3 ways

-institutionalised (Bradley)

-stereotypical prejudices (Pilcher)

-assumes that the very old are vulnerable and dependent on younger and fitter adults for care and protection. (Ginn and Arber)