ABSTRACT
There is no biological ‘truth’ to suggest that being young equates with nothing to say. As scholars involved in the ‘new’ childhood studies argue, it is a product of our place and times to judge the nature and capabilities of people on the basis of their age. Not very long ago children in Western countries were paid workers, and many still work as carers and doing home duties, while the exploitation of child labour remains a dreadful reality in some parts of the world. However, despite the evidence that connections between age and the capacity to take responsibility are culturally constructed, we more often than not see children and young people as persons whose views are completely ‘immature’ and not to be taken seriously (Ariès, 1962; James & Prout, 1997; Mason & Fattore, 2005; Qvortrup, Bardy, Sigritta, & Wintersberger, 1994).
