4.2 Age and family life

The Social Construction of Childhood

🔑 Understanding Childhood as a Social Construct

Archard (2004) argues that every human society has developed a concept of childhood, but societies differ in their definitions of childhood and, by extension, adulthood. If childhood was simply a biological category, we would expect every society to see it in a similar way. The fact that this is not the case suggests that childhood is socially constructed rather than biologically determined.

Philippe Ariès and the Historical Development of Childhood

Philippe Ariès argues that 'childhood' as a distinctive phase in social development only came into existence around three centuries ago. Childhood is linked to the change from pre-industrial to industrial society.

In pre-industrial society:

• There were 'non-adults', but they were neither called 'children' nor treated in ways we would currently recognize as appropriate to this stage
• Children lived and worked alongside their parents
• No clear physical or cultural separation between children and adults

In industrial society:

• The development of an education system in the late 19th century resulted in children spending less time working alongside adults
• Children began spending time with their peers at school
• A gradual physical and cultural separation between children and adults emerged

Ariès controversially suggested that there was no idea of childhood in pre-industrial society.