leisure
...hink of things we can and cannot do on the street and in other locations. Whose cultural values and practices are accepted? Whose are marginalised? (e.g. What sexualities are acceptable for public display in which areas of Middlesbrough? Which drugs are we allowed to take? Who is allowed to gamble) 3) Financial Costs usually enable us to do some things and not others. Argyle (1996) focuses on the Psychological – meaning for the individual. Psychological factors drive leisure: “those activities which people do in their free time, because they want to, for their own sake, for fun, entertainment, self-improvement, or for goals of their own choosing, but not for material gain” (Argyle, 1996, p.3) Sociologist Kenneth Roberts (1978): • General agreement that a definition of leisure must incorporate two things: - freedom from work - Activities relatively freely chosen rather than obligated Rojek (1995) “What we understand by the term is socially conditioned, which makes conventional associations of ‘freedom’, ‘choice’ and ‘self-determination’ with leisure unsupportable.” (p.1) Typologies of leisure help categorise experiences and reasons. Question becomes: What freedom, choice, leisure etc. mean within a specific social formation/society/sector of society. (e.g. bear bating, watching a hanging, setting a car on fire, attending an opera, riding a motorbike). Why is it important to study leisure? There is a vast amount of time and money dedicated to leisure in contemporary society. e.g. (1998/9 Britain leisure accounts for 25%-30% of all consumer spending (Mason and Mason, 1998) - bigger expenditure than food (Family Expenditure Survey). e.g. Shoppers would rather spend their money on leisure activities than designer labels, according to a study by consumer think-tank The Future Foundation estimates the average household in Britain now spends £3,500 a year on "experiences" such as music lessons and holidays, compared with £2,210 on material goods. Source: Evening Standard 20/08/2003 2. Increasing number of activities and a large amount of space e.g. MetroCentre • 135 acres (The New Red Mall will increase MetroCentre's retail area to 1,780,000 sq.ft. (165,362 sq.m), restoring the Centre's position as Europe's largest shopping and leisure centre.) • Over 360 stores and shops • Themed Mediterranean Village • A Roman forum • An Antique village • £ 20mil indoor amusement part • Over 50 cafe’s, restaurants, fast food outlets • 28 lane bowling alley • Video games arcade • Multi-screen cinema • 26 million visitors in 1991 (Lury, 1996) “Investments at MetroCentre, by Capital Shopping Centres, since the company bought the Centre in 1995, exceed £130m. The owners are confident that the New Red Mall and improved transport facilities will result in a significant volume in footfall, currently at 23 million. The Centre already employs 6000 local people and the new development will provide a further 1000 retail jobs.” 3) A vast range and variety of activities and spaces which shapes contemporary experiences e.g. gyms, leisure centres, football/sporting stadiums, multiplex cinemas bowling alleys, laser quests, theme parks, museums, restaurants, package holidays, countryside parks, theatres etc. etc.. 4) Important to economies, societies, communities and individuals – recently especially in relation to social exclusion. Chris Smith former Secretary of State for DCMS claimed that: “art and sport can not only make a valuable contribution to delivering key outcomes of lower long term unemployment, less crime, better health and better qualifications, but can also help to develop the individual pride, community spirit and capacity for responsibility that enable communities to run regeneration programmes themselves.” (PAT 10, 1999, p.2 quoted in Long and Welch (2003). From Tees Valley Structural Plan: “Improving the quality of life of people in the Tees Valley by creating a better physical environment, enhanced work opportunities and improved social and leisure facilities …” (p.9).1 Bringing people into regions and making them attractive places to live as well as increasing employment and skills. Social exclusion:. Social exclusion happens when people or places suffer from a series of problems such as unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, ill health and family breakdown. When such problems combine they can create a vicious cycle. Social exclusion can happen as a result of problems that face one person in their life. But it can also start from birth. Being born into poverty or to parents with low skills still has a major influence on future life chances. (http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk) JRF VIDEO Cultural Activities important in regeneration projects (aimed at tackling social exclusion in areas). 5) Conversely many sociological theories suggest that leisure inequality contributes to broader inequality (economic/gender/age based/ethnic/sexual inequality/global inequality etc..) Supported by statistics from the General Household Survey Torkildsen (1999) identifies and number of key points relating to leisure participation: • there is a general decline in active leisure participation with increasing age; • income levels are closely linked to participation rates and for almost all leisure activities examined the proportion participating rose with income; • in terms of a person’s social class it is the professional workers who tend to have the highest participation rates in leisure activities and the unskilled workers who have the lowest. • Gender – the majority of sport and recreation activities higher amongst males (Torkildsen, 1999). • More generally (including sport and recreation) the higher the level of education the greater participation. • Arts access reviews (DNH, 1996; Selwood, 2001) indicate arts attendance, especially museums is middle-aged and middle class with lowest attendance among the retired and those who leave school aged 16. • Heywood et al (1995) also acknowledged a number of social divisions which give rise to differences and inequalities in leisure and discuss within this context: social class; gender; the family; age; ethnicity and disability. So in almost all activities it is possible to identify structured participation and structured exclusion. In Sociological Theory Structure and Agency a Key Issue Bourdieu – Distinction - cultural capital “a currency based on taste”– involves knowledge about particular forms of art and culture by which dominant groups can maintain distance from groups below them and pass on to next generation. Able to do so because they control institutions e.g. schools – to favour selves. (Alexander, 2003) Raises Questions about: a) the value and social worth of different peoples leisure activities. b) the types of activities that are supported by the state. Leisure and ...