Leisure Perpetuates Gender, Race, and Class

InequalitiesBy:

Will SeegersBeth GagnonPaige WallisScott Peller

Gender

• During Victorian period men were dominant and created their own livelihood while women stayed in a domestic realm (women weak and inferior)

• Beginning in the 1920s, the Feminist movement changed roles of women to make things more even

• However, in 1950 women still only made up about 30% of the US workforce

Race

• Slavery, segregation, Japanese internment• In the past, racial minorities have tended to

have lower income than white as well as higher rates of unemployment

• Leisure in the US was established with the white middle-class in mind

Class

• From ancient Greece to today leisure has been managed by lower class laborers and exploited by those with the wealth to afford it

• Prime tourism areas have always tended to be more expensive to live in

• Golfing and yachting are examples of historically rich people’s sports

Leisure Perpetuates GenderWOMEN

• Past perceptions of women reflected them as being weak and inferior in skills—lacking drive, confidence, and competitiveness.• Women experience unfairness in leisure when compared to men.• -women’s leisure is influenced by their ‘role as a mother or wife’.• Feminist Movement: Feminism-political, social, and economical

equality among men and women.

MEN• The G.I. Joe change—the image of the ideal male.

• Feeling as though they need to take part in certain things to affirm their masculinity.

• The Stay-At-Home Dad is not quite as rare as he once was.

Male vs. Female

Play has served to reinforce gender-related stereotypes.

Girls were given dolls and encouraged to participate in feminine roles—playing as nurses or teachers when they were young. Anticipate caring for the children, cooking, sewing, cleaning, etc. when they grow up.

Boys were given toy guns and cowboy outfits and encouraged to participate in masculine roles—playing as doctor, pilot, police officers, or firefighter when they were young. Anticipate being the ‘boss’, head of the household, or strong and in charge.

Race and Ethnicity in Leisure

Traditional patterns of facility development and program planning were essentially based on the assumption that the public being served was predominantly a white, middle-class population. Not only did development and planning lead to things such as White Flight, Redlining and Blockbusting in the past, but they exist today and continue to segregation different groups of people.

Reality: The public continues to accept the concept of race and to apply it in terms of popular stereotypes about one group or other through the portrayals of different racial and ethnic groups on TV in games, toys, books, magazines, newspapers, and music.

However leisure is not always bad:

-Can be inclusive and build community-Not everything includes negative images and stereotypes many things

show diversity in a positive lightSports are a great example they not only help keep kids off the streets in

poor neighborhoods, but they also break down barriers and bring kids together.

With the recent immigration to major cities, nonwhites now outnumber those of European background.

Now the growing minority population has a powerful influence on the nation’s cultural scene and recreational life. Programs are beginning to have a ‘melting pot’ perspective, which wants to merge groups and allow people to get together.

How to include racial and ethnic groups:1. INVITE 2. INCLUDE 3. INVOLVE

Leisure and Recreation: Class

• Is class/race really separating certain groups of people into doing certain types of leisure/rec only?

• How do outside influences affect our perception/portrayal of class/race in leisure/rec?– Magazines, newspaper, movies?

VS

Would we see someone who might not have a lot of money spend it on skiing?? Can this be compared to any leisure activities?

What is the first thing that pops into your head from this video and pictures to follow?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q&feature=related

A sport invented by a white man at which white people continually get owned…?

White mans sport?

• Vince Carter dunks on huge white guy in Olympics– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMrPjl-927Q&

feature=related

• How is race REALLY playing roles in sports, leisure, or recreation?

CAN YOU THINK OF A DIFFERENT EXAMPLE……???????

SKIING?

BOATING? POLO?

TRAVEL?

What about…

Hmmm….