Leisure Time

Paper Summary:

In this article the writer notes that a general definition of leisure is used to explain that this time is free from activities such as employment, business, household chores, education, eating and sleeping. However, the writer points out that the definition of what makes an activity true leisure as opposed to being a compulsory activity is a rather arbitrary one and in many cases it can be difficult to determine which activities are being done purely for pleasure with no utilitarian purpose. In order to study the role of leisure over the course of a lifetime, an elderly subject is interviewed and the leisure activities are analyzed for each decade of life between the ages of twenty-years-old and seventy-years-old. This case study analysis allows for a comparison of how leisure affects the individual's life throughout the different stages of life, as well as providing a comparison to the "average" leisure activities of other people.

From the Paper:

"The modern notion of leisure and having leisure time, however, did not emerge until the nineteenth century when the mechanization of industry changed the way most people worked. Because machines allowed the typical workweek to be shortened by more than twenty hours, the average person had time to relax and take part in non-compulsory activities. Before this change in industry, enjoyable activities such as sports and theater were associated with only upper-class -- not working-class -- lifestyles. Since then, leisure has been an essential part of the Western lifestyle for the vast majority of people."
"There are two major categories of leisure and leisure activities. The first is active leisure, which is a type of non-compulsory activity that is just that, active, and implies that the person wishes to exert energy during the activity. Active leisure activities may be low-impact, such as walking, yoga, or swimming, which are not highly competitive or highly energetic, but still a physicalism activity. Active leisure activities may also be considered high-impact, such as competitive sports, which are highly competitive or highly energetic, and may in some extreme cases actually risk physical harm."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2004) American Time Use Survey. Retrieved April 2006, from http://www.bls.gov/tus/
• Loki (2006, April) Personal Interview.
• Wikipedia. (2006, Aprtil 27) Leisure. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved April 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure.
• Williams, R. (2004, May) Staking our claim: why leisure is still significant in these troubling times. Parks & Recreation. Retrieved April 2006, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1145/is_5_39/ai_n6069167/print

More papers on Leisure Time:

• Persuasive Essay # 142498 : "The Blackberry's Reorientation of Leisure Time"
• Term Paper # 105853 : "Leisure Time in the U.S."
• Essay # 7942 : "Japanese Women and Leisure"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: