Childhood is seen as a social construct, meaning that it's something created and developed by society. There are 2 approaches to childhood, the Conventional approach, and the Alternative approach. They have been said to see childhood as a fixed universal experience, whilst the alternative thinkers disagree and think that childhood experience comes down to many different factors.
Many Functionalists and New Right thinkers believe that children are a vunerable group, and that they are underthreat and need protection from adult society. The approach suggests that successful childrearing requires 2 parents of the oppotise sex, and that there is a right way to bring up a child. Such views often blame working mothers, and singles mothers for social problems. They also see children in need of protection from homosexuality and media violence.Postman believes that Childhood is under threat because TV exposes them to adult hood too soon. Melanie Phillips' book 'All must have prizes' is typical of this conventional approach. She argues that the culture of parenting in the UK has broken down. Another trend that has alarmed some sociologists is the rise of children as consumers. It is estmimated that children aged 7-11 are worth £20 million a year as consumers. Advertisers therefore target children in order to encourage 'pester power'. Three related concerns have arisen out of this thread: 1. Commentators often look back to a 'golden age' of childhood; they see their own lives as children being less pressurized and complex. 2. Evans and Chandler found that peer pressure was an important aspect of childrens consumption. The children they studied were very aware of the clothing and label trends amongst their peers. They were also aware that they could be bullied if they didn't conform to these trends. 3. Some commentators claim that the marketing of children's products is often 'anti adult'.
The coventional appraoch has been criticized by sociologists who have focused on...