Children's Perspectives on Economic Adversity: A Review of the Literature

Gerry Redmond

DISCUSSION PAPERS IDP Number 2008-01 March 2008

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre IRC, Florence Italy



Available online PDF file [23p.]  at:
http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/idp_2008_01.pdf



".....This paper reviews some of the recent qualitative literature on
children's perspectives on economic disadvantage.  The idea of asking
people who experience disadvantage about their own situations is still a
relatively new one in the social sciences, and the idea of asking children
about their own perceptions of economic and social disadvantage is even
more recent.


Nine analyses, all published since 1998, and all of them involving in-depth
interviews or group work with children aged between 5 and 17, are examined
in detail.  Most  of  these  studies  develop frameworks based on the 'new
sociology  of  childhood', which emphasises the social  construction of
childhood  and  children's  agency in the context of child-adult relations.


The nine studies cover a number of issues related to economic disadvantage,
including  exclusion from activities and peer groups at school and in the
community;  perceptions of 'poor' and 'affluent' children; participation in
organised activities outside of  school  hours; methods  of coping with
financial  hardship;  support  for  parents  in  coping  and in seeking and
keeping employment, and aspirations for future careers and lives.



The analysis is organised under two themes - social exclusion and agency.
Both are important from a child's perspective. The research examined here
shows  that  what  concerns  children  is not lack of resources per se, but
exclusion  from  activities that other children appear to take for granted,
and embarrassment and shame at not being able to participate on equal terms
with other children. The research also shows the extent to which children's
agency  matters, first for themselves, to make sense of their situation and
to  interpret  it  positively  or  otherwise; second, for their parents and
families,  to  help  them  cope  with financial and other pressures through
engaging  in  domestic  work and caring, not making demands on parents, and
protecting  them  from further pressure where they are able; and third, for
policy:  initiatives  to  reduce  children's exclusion must take account of
children's own perspectives on their situation.



On the basis of the nine papers analysed, the review argues that economic
disadvantage can lead to exclusion in a number of critical areas, including
schooling,  access to out of school activities, and interaction with peers.
But  the  review  also  finds  that children use their agency creatively to
reduce  the  impact  of  economic  adversity  on  them  and their families.

However, they can also turn it inwards, leading to them lowering their own
aspirations,  excluding  themselves from a range of activities, or engaging
in  activities that attract social disapproval. The review concludes with a
discussion of the ethical and practical challenges associated with
conducting research with children, and with a summary of issues that still
remain under-researched.



This paper contributes to IRC's ongoing exploration of ways to understand
and  study the different dimensions of child wellbeing and the realization
of children's rights for policy development purposes....." From: Eva
Jespersen





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