Preception of leisure among working women: A sociological perspective

PRECEPTION OF LEISURE AMONG WORKING WOMEN: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Leisure is an important factor in determining our quality of life. Leisure is about choice. Most of us acknowledge that some form of leisure is important in our lives but we don’t always have the time or resources to fully enjoy it. Our leisure activities and lifestyles are also important in defining our identities. The influence of gender roles in leisure behavior has also been a topic of research interest. The investigation of gender differences in the perception of leisure needs to account for the social context in which men and women live and interact with each other. Given the dynamic nature of the social context and of male/ females interactions, leisure is then a dynamic concept rather than a static one. The concept of leisure has taken new meaning in the life of working women with the rising responsibilities at work, tight deadlines, work pressures, and cut-throat competition have forced the current workforce to rethink about leisure more specifically .The conceptualization of leisure as a social experience is adopted in this paper. It also presents and discusses the concepts of gender identity and gender role attitudes as a way to investigate gender differences in leisure perceptions. Generally, investigations of gender issues in leisure behavior have established differences between the leisure patterns of men and women. In addition to understanding the nature of the expression leisure, it is important to understand the factor that shape and constrain. A constraint to leisure is anything that inhibits a person’s ability to participate in recreation activities. The factors that shape and constrain women’s leisure are often attributable to social expectations that regulate women’s role within the home and in the public sphere.