The March of Progress View: The Family and the Role of Children (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of The March of Progress view: The Family and Gender Equality

March of progress supporters would also argue that the role and position of children has changed over time.

Sociologists like Edward Shorter believe that in today’s society there are different attitudes towards children than there were in the past, for instance families and societies have become more ‘child-centred,’ where children are seen as a priority. Sociologists believe that there are a number of things that have led to this, for example, more babies now survive due to improvements in sanitation and health care, children are entitled to an education and they are protected from harm in the form of specific legislation.

However, feminists and Marxists believe that the march of progress view of childhood is limited and too idealistic. It fails to take into account the inequalities that exist between children and adults. For example, children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to perform worse at school than their richer peers. Likewise, boys and girls are often treated differently with parents more likely to be less strict with boys than they are with girls.

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