Social construction of childhood
The concept that childhood is not a natural, universal stage of life but socially constructed; different societies and historical periods define childhood, children's roles, and adult-child relationships very differently.
Real World
In Victorian Britain, children as young as five worked in coal mines and textile factories, whereas today UK law prohibits full-time employment before age 16, showing how the boundary between childhood and adulthood is historically constructed rather than biologically fixed.
Exam Focus
Use cross-cultural and historical examples together to strengthen the social constructionist argument for full marks.
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