‘Melt Down’: Young Women’s Talk of Time and its Implications for Health, Well-being and Identity in Late Modernity

There is considerable evidence that increased levels of consumption, 'time-pressure' and transitory employment in current post-industrial or 'late-modern' society have implications for health, well-being and leisure. In this paper we focus on the leisure experiences of young women, paying specific attention to issues that link women's leisure, identity, health and well-being in the context of late modernity. Data are drawn from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Pointing to differences between modernity and late modernity, with particular attention to quantity and quality of leisure, are narratives about time fragmentation, stress and illness and the importance of locating 'the balance' in young women's lives. The narratives emerged from focus group discussions with young women aged 18-23 years and call into question existing perceptions of young women's time-use and the implications for health and well-being.