RPTS 340
Unit 5: The Effects of Gender: Why Study Woman and Leisure?
I.Feminism and its goals.
A.Feminism defined: “A philosophical framework that embodies equality, empowerment, and social change for both women and men.”
B.Goals of feminism:
1.To correct both the invisibility and distortion (stereotypes) of female experiences in ways that lead to change.
a.Women have tended to live their lives in the private (non-public) sphere.
b.Our language tends to be male-oriented.
c.Role models in our society tend to be male.
d.Arts, literature, and the media have traditionally been dominated by males.
2.Provide women greater rights, equity, and freedom of choice, and power to control their lives within and outside the home.
3.Remove all forms of inequality and oppression in society.
C.Assumptions about women:
1.Women have historically been oppressed in most aspects of their lives, including leisure.
2.Differences between men and women are not inherently good or bad, but simply different.
3.Diversity as well as commonalities exists in the lifestyles of women.
II.Why do people study women and leisure?
A.Many of our assumptions about leisure are based on studies of men.
1.We often define leisure as a non-work or free-time activity. This assumption may be valid for men, but not for women.
2.We often assume that men and women are relatively unconstrained to pursue leisure activities. Again, this assumption tends to be more valid for men than for women.
3.Most studies have focused on leisure behavior occurring in public rather than the home.
4.We often assume that people develop leisure skills and become more proficient over time. This tendency, again, tends to occur more often for males than it does for females.
B.Men and women have different life experiences and these shape their perceptions and experiences of leisure.
1.Women’s lives have been predominantly home-centered and their lives are shaped by the demands of their husbands, children, and household tasks. Some women feel they are on call 24 hours a day.
2.The distinction between work and leisure is far more distinct for men that it is for women.
a.Leisure experiences, for many women, tend to fit within the stream of work, chores, and/or child care activities.
b.For men, leisure experiences tend to occur at times that are especially set aside for recreation activities.
3.For many women, leisure is a peripheral activity rather than a central life interest. Women are far less likely than men to define themselves in terms of their leisure interests.
4.Adaptability is a major them in women’s development. Ongoing adaptation prevents long-range planning: “The result is that women are often deprived of the pleasure of attaining goals that require extended time commitments.”
5.As a result, women tend to be “followers” rather than “leaders.” That is, they tend to subordinate their own leisure preferences in favor of others.
C.Despite increased freedom, women “continue to experience barriers in gaining access to leisure spaces, and activities and leisure opportunities for women and men continue to be unequal.
D.Leisure can potentially “empower” women: i.e., provide them an arena for resistance and freedom of expression that may be limited in other areas of life.