ABSTRACT
This chapter shows some of the ways in which research can highlight differences in the social construction of childhood through exploring in detail the meanings which are negotiated within the family about the nature of childhood. It suggests that the process of research may itself also contribute to the social construction of childhood. The chapter explores the different ways in which children contribute to household management and to the division of labour in the home and suggests that through these children are themselves actively involved in constructing the new perceptions of childhood in Norwegian culture. Negotiations about what childhood means in any particular family may take place on many different levels. At one level, the family members may negotiate about specific practical matters. At another level, however, family members negotiate the meaning of childhood more abstractly through reference to conceptions of age and age-related activities.
