Leisure Time and Gender: A Reflection on the Lived Experience of Female Students of Shiraz University

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Hamid Heydary ¹
• Sirus Mansoori ²

¹ Ph.D. of sociology, Department of sociology, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Education, , Arak University, Arak, Iran

10.30495/jzvj.2021.27112.3483

Abstract

The aim of this study was to study the lived experience of female students at Shiraz about leisure time. The research approach used in the study was qualitative and also strategy was phenomenology. Potential participants in the study were female students at Shiraz University who were studied through purposive sampling based on the theoretical saturation rule. Data collection tool was semi-structured interviews and also thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the data. Findings indicate that individual-oriented leisure orientation, limitation of community structures on leisure time, discriminatory leisure contexts, insecurity in leisure and economy-oriented leisure orientation are the main themes in the leisure patterns of Shiraz University students. Based on the research findings, the tendency to choose passive leisure and freely and selectively leisure orientations are the factors that explain the individual-oriented leisure orientation. Religious limitations, customary-cultural limitations, and political structure limitations have been identified as limitations on community structures over leisure time. Allocation of unequal facilities, limitations on leisure diversity and cultural perspectives are discriminatory leisure time. Mental-structural insecurity and nonsecurity in space and time explain the limitations of female students from insecurity in leisure time. Class distinction and leisure orientation also introduce students' economy-oriented leisure time. According to the research results it is expected that policy makers in the field of culture in general and policy makers in higher education based on research results to provide spaces to improve students' leisure time.

Keywords

• Gender
• Leisure Time
• Lived Experience
• Leisure Structures
• Students

20.1001.1.20088566.1400.12.48.5.0

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