Abstract

This book is an introduction to issues and questions about women and their leisure. It is organized in a way that allows the reader to view womens leisure from several perspectives. The introductory chapter provides a basis for studying women and leisure by addressing the frameworks of leisure, social phychology, and feminism. A historical perspective on women and leisure, which departs from a typical chronological historical approach, is addressed in the next section. Feminism and its theoretical assumptions that can be applied to leisure research and practice are presented in Chapter Three. Issues of meaning for women and the leisure containers that exist for them are then described. A lifespan perspective offers another way to understand womens need for adaptability and flexibility in their leisure over the life course. Leisure participation for women based on research that has been conducted is discussed in a subsequent section. The constraints to leisure that have particular significance to women are then explicated. The final chapter procides a summary of what might be expected for women and leisure in the future. Several scenarios are offered to provide a framework for analyzing the future that would be likely or preferable for women. Aus dem Vorwort