Some interesting research described here that concludes that a lot of increased societal concern over kids being left alone isn't driven by actual risk, but by increased moral judgment on parental behavior. The more that parental behavior is seen as neglectful, the greater the danger the children being seen as neglected are considered to be in. As the researchers put it:
'People don't only think that leaving children alone is dangerous and therefore immoral. They also think it is immoral and therefore dangerous.'
I'm wondering where that heightened moral judgment of parents is coming from. Is it from a growing nanny state / village-to-raise-a-child sensibility? Is it from changing social mores leading to increased scrutiny and criticism by more traditionalist forces? Is the growing number of single parents (or two-working-parents) driving increased concerns from people who disapprove of the phenomenon? Or increased concerns from parents who recognize how both categories increase the difficulty to care for kids?
I dunno. It will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve over time.
Why Do We Judge Parents For Putting Kids At Perceived — But Unreal — Risk?
Tania Lombrozo looks at research published Monday showing people’s factual judgment of how much danger a child is in while a parent is away varies according to the extent of their moral outrage.
