Women, leisure and inequality

Women experience inequalities in gaining access to leisure ‘space’ and activities. Based on research in Milton Keynes, UK, this paper points towards a more satisfactory theory of women's leisure, and shows how aspects of women's gender-roles constrain their enjoyment and use of free time. Constraints include domestic labour, job attitudes, behaviour and working hours of male partners, child care, lack of independent income and absence of transport. Women with least leisure activities are married, have children under 16, left school at the minimum age and own no transport. The factors contributing to women's overall subordinate position in society thus contribute to their scant leisure.