The Leisure mapping essay Social Sciences Essay Paper

Leisure Mapping
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Introduction
Leisure refers to the time when one is free or when an individual is free. Ordinarily, during leisure, people choose to participate in activities that they like and not those that they must do. It is important to mention that the quality of leisure time may vary depending on an individual’s responsibilities. As a result, both the young and the elderly normally have more leisure time than the working population. Leisure is essential in our daily lives because when we are involved in satisfying leisure activities we tend to gain a sense of freedom, control, creativity, and achievements. This paper outlines and explains some of the sociocultural factors that influence leisure activities.
Leisure time measure the time we set aside socializing, exercising our minds and bodies and pursuing our own interests. Leisure may be categorized into types, active leisure; this is interactive and engaging and it involves activities such as going to gym, swimming, playing football and other physically and mentally stimulating activities. On the other side, passive leisure involves activities which provide relaxation which is vital for mental health. It is also keynoting that passive leisure includes activities which require little effort such as watching television, going to the cinema among others.
From the results of the various research studies regarding leisure time, it is clear that there are several socio-cultural factors that may affect the time people spend relaxing. These factors may include age, gender, socioeconomic status, group interaction, and family. From the first factor, it is crucial to understand that leisure is vital for both young and old people. It is estimated that adults who are over seventy-five years old spend about eight hours per day engaging in leisure activities (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). The time spent on leisure as well as the type of activities may change as one gets older. However, there are some leisure activities that do not have age limits. For example, activities such as reading and walking are applicable to both the young and the elderly.
Mostly, young people spend most of their leisure time participating in physical exercises which include training at the gym, cycling, walking, running, swimming and playing football among others. Also, the popularity of independent physical activity increases with age where individuals prefer taking leisure activities alone. On the other side, old people are more involved in less demanding activities and most of their leisure time is spent on activities such as reading newspapers, watching televisions and resting. Being a student, I automatically fall in under the young-adult population, in this group my choice of leisure activities corresponds to those of the young people. From the seven-day time map, it is evident that most of my leisure time is spent on demanding and physical activities such as going to the gym, attending yoga classes and going to kine 1000 laboratory.
Gender may be defined as the socially constructed definition of women and men. Usually, gender is determined by the conception of tasks, functions and the roles attributed to men and women in the society and in both public and private life. Research has found that gender influences the distribution of leisure among individuals because societal constructions of gender play a major role in determining the leisure activities which are considered to be right for men and women. It is essential to point out that every community or society has its own predetermined views of what is suitable for people of a given gender inclination. Researchers maintain that individuals are likely to engage in activities which are consistent with their gender identity (Jun & Kyle, 2012). Additionally, people are also likely to avoid participating in those activities which are likely to violate the meanings that are linked with their gender identity.
For decades, researchers have examined the relationship between gender and leisure practices. The studies conducted have revealed the meaning of leisure between men and women and how individuals based on their gender view leisure activities. The gender stereotyping of activities is obvious in different areas of leisure activities and this is evident as indicated by gendered opportunities and patterns of time use. Researchers have proved that men have greater availability of leisure activities and they also have more time to relax (Blackshaw, 2013). On the other side, women have much less leisure time because they regularly participate in part-time work than their counterparts and they also spend more of their free time completing unpaid work such as household chores and childcare. According to the Office for National Statistics (2015), men spend about 6 hours and 9 minutes every day participating in leisure activities while women spend 5 hours and 29 minutes.
In the contemporary world, there are those activities that both men and women spend their leisure time in and there are those that are associated with either gender. For example, both men and women spend their leisure time watching television and movies. Being one of the most popular activities in the modern world, cinema helps people to relax. Also, spending time on the internet and going to the gym are also common for both genders. However, there are those activities that are linked with either men or women, for example, females may use their leisure time on things such as knitting, dancing and attending yoga classes. On the other hand, men spend their time with friends taking part in activities such as playing cards and participating in physical activities such as wrestling, football, basketball and soccer among others, from the seven day...