The leisure of rural women in New Zealand: a pilot study

Abstract

The intention of this pilot study is to examine the concept and perception of leisure for a group of women with dependent children who are living on farms in New Zealand. Several sociological variables which influence their leisure are also identified. The primary aim is to increase the body of knowledge in an area which has received little attention in the past. As this study is concerned with the subjective meaning of leisure, and considering the exploratory nature of the research, a qualitative methodology is used. The information was obtained through semi-structured interviews carried out with twenty women in the Southern Wairarapa region. The women interviewed were chosen using a method of snowballing, and sampling criteria applied in order to obtain as uniform a group as possible. The data are content-analysed and categorised into theme areas before being presented in the light of the leisure literature. The findings are divided into three chapters. The first of these chapters addresses the women's concept of leisure, the second identifies their stated leisure activities, and the third examines several variables which influence their leisure. These variables include their family relationships, the district, the school, the nature of their work, guilt feelings associated with leisure, the importance of leisure, the rural lifestyle, and the women's perceived constraints on leisure. The findings indicate an apparent gap between the women's concept of leisure and their perceptions of leisure, as manifested in their stated leisure activities. The traditionally defined role of the wife and mother exerts a major influence on the leisure of these women. A clear distinction between work and non-work is very difficult for this group, with leisure being experienced in many different aspects of their daily lives. The women are found to be generally very satisfied and content with their lives. However, the nature of rural life, with its social and geographic isolation, means they are also disadvantaged in respect to leisure opportunity as compared to their urban counterparts. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the pertinent issues which arise out of the findings and the implications for further research.