Gender

The field of the history of European childhood emerged in the early 1960s and Centuries of Childhood, in which Philippe Ariès argued that the emergence of the child-centred family marked the arrival of modernity. He believed that childhood was not recognized as a separate and significant stage until the modern era, and Lawrence Stone, in the same vein, explained that the lack of parental affection for children was the result of high infant and childhood mortality rates. ¹ Later, this characterization of childhood was challenged by historians such as Steven Ozment, Linda Pollock and Alan Macfarlane, who argued for a continual parental affection and devotion over time. ² Despite the long-standing debate over Ariès’s argument, one of his contributions has been retained: that the notions associated with childhood were not simply confined to family, but rather that they shaped society as much as they were shaped by society. In this sense, a study of childhood in early modern Europe reveals many insights, not only into parenting practices but also other factors that significantly shaped the lives of children, such as region, social class and gender.