A Brief History of Childhood

Abstract

Fundamental to an understanding of gender-based violence and the effects of this violence on children, are perspectives of childhood and values placed on childhood. As a stage of life, childhood is socially constructed, and therefore varies across time and cultures. This chapter provides a brief historical Western review of childhood, from earlier conceptions of children as miniature adults without rights or unique needs, to more recent views of children as having potentials to be nurtured and rights to be protected. The importance of childhood as a unique stage of life is highlighted by the widely understood and accepted notion that childhood experiences lay the foundation for developmental trajectories, later health, and well-being. The recognition of the role of early life experiences highlights the criticality of advancing our understanding of the short- and long-term influences of children’s experiences of gender-based violence in sport, and methods of preventing these experiences.