The Social Construction of Childhood Essay - 2194 Words

While all societies acknowledge that children are different from adults, how they are different, changes, both generationally and across cultures. â€Å"The essence of childhood studies is that childhood is a social and cultural phenomenon† (James, 1998). Evident that there are in fact multiple childhoods, a unifying theme of childhood studies is that childhood is a social construction and aims to explore the major implications on future outcomes and adulthood. Recognizing childhood as a social construction guides exploration through themes to a better understanding of multiple childhoods, particularly differences influencing individual perception and experience of childhood. Childhood is socially constructed according to parenting style†¦show more content†¦He then analyzes these measures into how it would be possible to change the perception of childhood, making it possible for all children, within any environment, to enhance their capabilities provided the oppo rtunities to reach success. He explores the experience of childhood according to social cultural beliefs and expectations, parental income, poverty, race and effects of parenting styles or adult roles in children’s environment. Tough tackles the theme centered on cultural belief and practice about what kinds of adults children should become, finding links to parental income. He focuses on the cognitive hypothesis which is based on the idea of preparing children for adulthood by sending them to school in order to learn cognitive skills such as problem solving, reading, writing etc. This theory relies solely on standardized testing to determine success and acts in creating a gap between children based on their economic status or parent’s income. According to the cognitive hypothesis, children who are born into low income and poverty experience a different type of childhood, a lesser quality than children who are born to middle or upper class parents. In other words, c hildren in poverty are not able to reach the same levels of success as children born into families with more money and therefore more resources. The experience of childhood by children in poverty differs from children not in poverty. Children in poverty are prone to more risk factors such as lackShow MoreRelatedSocial Construction of Childhood Essay1286 Words   |  6 Pages1. 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