The Obvious Child examines the significance of childhood in important areas of society and culture. The book is divided into two sections: the transformation of the child in society, which examines how childhood has changed in important areas of social life, and the transformation of the child in contemporary culture, which examines important areas of contemporary culture in which images and the status of childhood have become significant. The section on childhood in society examines the major works in the history of childhood, the status of childhood in contemporary social thought, the emerging status of children in the courtroom, and the media's focus on children and childhood issues. The section on childhood and culture examines the images and symbolic uses of childhood in utopian fiction, science fiction films, popular music, and the archetypical descriptions of childhood in recent memoirs. The epilogue describes and assesses recent issues and problems of contemporary childhood such as childhood obesity, child labor, child sexual exploitation, and children as consumers.