Childism can refer either to advocacy for empowering children as a subjugated group or to prejudice and/or discrimination against children or childlike qualities. It can operate thus both as a positive term for a movement, like the term

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, as well as a critical term to identify a phenomenon, like the term

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

. The latter concept is more commonly referred to as

ageism Ageism, also spelled agism, is discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism. Butler d ...

, adultism or patriarchy. The concept is first described and explored in an article by Chester M. Pierce and Gail B. Allen in 1975. It was used in time in the 1990s in literary theory by Peter Hunt to refer to "to read as children." An extensive treatment of childism as a negative phenomenon is found in Elisabeth Young-Bruehl's last work, published posthumously, ''Childism: Confronting Prejudice Against Children''. In the field of childhood studies, and most commonly in Europe, childism is a positive phenomenon based on

John Wall Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Wall was chosen with the first overa ...

's work since 2006 and book, ''Ethics in Light of Childhood''. Recently, the ''Childism Institute'' has been formed at Rutgers University Camden, US, holding its inaugural meeting on 11 June 2020. The Childism Institute is a network of international researchers and advocates devoted to "empowering children by critiquing dultistnorms and structures". Among other things, the Childism Institute maintains
database
of research which either employs the concept of childism or is in close alignment with it.

References

{{Reflist Childhood Children's rights Youth rights Ageism 1975 neologisms