Ethnocentric conceptualisations of childhood have shaped international policy, particularly with regard to child labour legislation. To date, limited research has investigated the working lives of girls and boys in rural contexts of developing countries. This thesis examines the role of work in the everyday lives of children growing up in a rural Ugandan fishing village, identifies the extent to which children contribute to household survival and investigates how social policies designed to protect children from exploitation as child labour relate to this context. Central to the study is a theory of gender relations based upon the interplay of work, social relations and power, and the 'new social studies of childhood', which views children as competent social actors. Data on the daily lives of 24 children (aged 3 months to 20 years) at home, school, play/leisure and paid work were collected using surveys, focus groups, interviews, diaries and observations.