Gender & Play - Childhood Influences

There are various discourses of childhood that help us understand how childhood is viewed and how children themselves are seen. It is important to also look outside the system world and look towards the life worlds as it gives a more realistic view of various childhoods and shows how diverse the concept of childhood is because children do not share the same experiences. Regardless if you are looking at the system or life world the notions of rights, opportunities and capabilities are often discussed. These notions aids us in understanding childhood, however they can often obstruct us as well.

Childhood itself is a slightly ambiguous term, and is not a fixed definite period of life. The book “AS level sociology” written by Rob webb, Hal Westergaard, Kieth Trobe and Liz Steel defines childhood as “ a socially defined age status” going on to say that there are major differences in how childhood is defined, both historically, and culturally, similarly, Stephen Wagg says of childhood;

To have a universal category of Childhood, all first hand and second hand experiences of Childhood must be the same to a certain degree. The term “universal” demands that all definitions and takes on the term must be the same without any equivocation. The interest in the concept of Childhood in terms of Sociology has increased massively since the 1980’s (Mayall 2002, James et al. 1998, Prout 2000, Lee 2001). Many Sociologists have analysed Childhood not only in contemporary terms but also how Childhood has been understood throughout history and across cultures. This research has led many to the conclusion that Childhood differs greatly throughout these variables and the concept has

The concept of childhood, is not a natural state, but it has been socially constructed through society and can only exist in a society that understand the term this has been reinforced through history. Another issue is how much of ‘childhood’ has been socially constructed (created and

Childhood is socially construted, this means it is only a human concept and the only reason that 'childhood ' exists is because society makes it that way. Over time childhood has changed as different norms and values over each century of life have been different and is still changing at present. Also in different places of the world there are different cultures and ethics so therefore their veiw of childhood will also be different. As Wagg (1992) states ‘Childhood is socially constructed. It is, in other words, what members of particular societies, at particular times, and in particular places, say it is. There is no single universal childhood, experienced by all. So, childhood isnt “natural” and should be distinguished from mere

Our childhood plays a significant role in defining the kind of person that we become and the type of life that we live.

Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence and its non-specific for it can imply a varying range of years in human development reference. The age ranges anywhere from 12 years to 15years with 18years being most common. Previous research done by sociologists focused on children primarily in terms of socialization and within the context of the family. The ‘new sociology of childhood’ argues that children inhabit more than one world, worlds that may well conflict those of adults, those of children 's own making, and those that children

Once a child is born, he or she learns to view the world based on the behaviors of others. The child’s primary caregivers, usually the parents, and others present in the child’s environment, such as siblings, peers, teachers, and even the media, contribute to the development of the child’s perception of himself, those around him, and society overall. This concept is called socialization. “The way we are, behave and think is the final product of socialization” and it is through socialization that we “learn what is appropriate and improper for both genders” (Crespi, 2004). This concept of gender socialization leads to the inescapable

Childhood is a time when a person grows not only physically, but intellectually and emotionally. As a child develops they become more independent and able to do thing for themselves without relying on adults for help. Childhood is a time where language is developed and younger children learn through play, it is also a time when personalities develop and discipline is learnt.

Childhood is

Childhood as disappearing/not disappearing will be discussed within this essay. There is no universal definition for childhood however in the western culture childhood is a period of dependency, characterised by learning the norms and values of society, innocence and freedom from responsibilities. Sociologists such as Postman and Jenks would argue that childhood is disappearing however Opie and Opie and Palmer would contradict this.

Childhood is not a biological state, unlike infancy (Postman) it is a construction placed upon a group of humans by society (James and Prout). Differing societies have different views of what a child is and should be. The ideas surrounding children and childhood not only differ within different societies there are also historical differences in the constructs of children (Postman) as if we look throughout history it is suggested that children are a modern day construct (Postman). Aries (1962) suggests that even as early as the late seventeeth century, when

In this literature review, gender-typed play behaviors were compared across 5 different cultural groups; namely European American, Mexican American, Dominican American, African American, and Migrant Mexican. The onset of gender-typed play, as well as the influences of gender-typed play were also examined. Findings show that gender-typed play behaviors, in general, persist across cultures, with the exception of the children in the Migrant Mexican group, where gender-typed play behaviors were not significant (Zosuls, et al., 2014; Halim, et al., 2013; Zosuls, et al., 2009; Goble, et al., 2012; Fabes, et al., 2003; Mathur & Parameswaran, 2015). Research shows that a child’s ability to self-label around 2 years old leads to gender-typed play patterns

To the general population, a child’s playmate is not considered as having much importance. Many people tend to look at a child’s playmate as insignificant because they believe that children do not care who they play with and it is of random chance that children interact with either same or cross-sex. However, in actuality, a child’s playmate is very important because one of the many goals of infancy and toddlerhood is to enable children to express their emotions through their playmates. Their ability to develop and process new information through these interactions is essential toward the development of social competence, organizing behavior, and adaptive functioning and successful interpersonal relationships. From this data, developmentalists are able to understand how children form social relationships and boundaries with not only themselves, but also their peers in terms of same-sex and cross-sex friendships.

Gender assignment begins even before a child is born with the sonogram that tells the parents if they are having a little boy or a little girl. It happens again the moment a child is born with the phrase “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” announced over the wailing newborn in the delivery room. Initially we use biology to determine whether a child is male or female. From that day on, they are continually influenced by the adults around them. At the hospital, the baby is given a hat to keep its head warm. Blue for a baby boy, and pink for a baby girl. At home, the parents are showered with gifts for their child, again with the same color pallets. Before they are even aware of anything, their gender has already been designated. As the baby gets older, it will become exposed to gender roles in the home. Parents give children their first impressions of what it means to be a male or a female, thus reinforcing how big of a role parents play in shaping a child’s gender development.