The Changing Factors of Childhood Development

 

Various factors had gradually changed a historical childhood vulnerability to a highly important aspect of society.  The first evidence was found through Industrialization.

 

Industrialization

The skilled labor demand at adult ages for industrial work had a reverse effect on the demand for childhood labor. Thus high preferences were given to fathers and children more than 7 years old.  Moreover; the industrial sector plan to have more skilled workers in the future therefore they started Sunday Schools in which 7-year kids were admitted for skilled training & education.  Gradually the number of schooling days increased and middle childhood labor diminished. 

 

Urbanization

Another significant contribution was through Urbanization where the family’s economy shifted from commodity to cash.  Still, the poor families preferred their children as labor to get more income and due to this reason, commonly their family size was high.   Parents attitude, on the other hand, were started changing when recognized the class difference.  It was understood that the future economy requires skilled & educated people that would be the key to change the social/economical class.  Thus; education became the status symbol and schooling/education became the norm of the society.

 

Health Care

The children mortality rate has dramatically been declined due to better health facilities and in combination with modernization and education.  In today’s world having the best child health facilities, there is 170 times more likely survival rate as compared to past.

 

Children Education

As children's education became a separate science and a specialized field, the role of educational institutions become more critical.  Subsequently; skilled teachers’ concept was aroused with the passage of time, along with education policy, country-wide curriculum, and international schooling systems.  Moreover; educationists started working on childhood development studies and childhood became a strong entity of society.

 

 Childhood in the Modern World

European Education or in other words Modern World Education could go as far as the 15^th century. During these eras, secular-centered education was highly concentrated in which Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, and Loris Malaguzzi were the key players.  These educationists concentrated on child mental and social development and getting a high level of competency from them to support the environment and economy therefore these standards had radically changed the world education system and had become the international education standard globally.

The modern world has widely acknowledged that the effects of what happens during the prenatal period and thousand days (3 years) of a child’s life can last a lifetime.  It is during early care that a child develops all the key elements of emotional intelligence, namely confidence, curiosity, purposefulness, self-confidence, capacity to communicate, and cooperativeness.  Children who have higher levels of emotional intelligence are more likely to remain in education, whereas, those with emotional difficulties tend to drop out. 

Childhood rights and theories were undermined throughout history, however; for the first time in history UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) identified “a child means every human being below the age of 18 years”  had not only provided the identity but Children’s Rights of expression first time ever.

Today we have very little evidence of this social disorder or tolerance of practices in the past due to recognizing children as a separate entity, by rising the concept of children development and considering them the generation of the future.  However; consequences & patterns may vary geographically or as per religious or cultural beliefs.

 

Bibliography

Dawood Janan, ‘Childhood History’, 3rd Ser, Blogger.com, (26 Feb 2021) Note: This Article contains series; The Changing Factors of Childhood is the third article of the series