Paper short abstract:

This qualitative study attempts to describe how leisure time among women and men in Croatia is practiced and negotiated. Apart from perceptions and experiences, the nature and quality of leisure time, (e.g., autonomy, contamination and fragmentation) will also be examined.

Paper long abstract:

Leisure time is an important aspect of everyday life (Henderson and Shaw, 2006); it offers time to relax, recover, or refresh from other responsibilities, particularly those associated with paid and unpaid work (Mattingly and Bianchi 2003). Research has shown that women generally have less time, resources and opportunities for leisure than men (Deem 1986; Wimbush 1986; Wearing and Wearing 1988; Homa 1989) and a narrower range of options on where and with whom to spend it (Green, Hebron, and Woodward 1990). Based on semi-structured interviews, this study attempts to describe how leisure time among women and men in Croatia is practiced and negotiated. These findings are part of a wider study on relational gender identities in Croatia (GENMOD - HRZZ 6010) funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. Specifically, this qualitative study aims to show how this time is perceived (i.e., multiple meanings) and experienced (e.g., freedom, enjoyment or a sense of guilt or a lack of entitlement, etc.). Decisions about leisure time use and what these are based on (e.g., individual preferences, needs of the family, gendered expectations, etc.) are also explored. To further evaluate the nature and quality of leisure time, this paper also intends to highlight how autonomous is this leisure, its degree of contamination (i.e., how child-free or colleague-free is this time) as well as how fragmented or interrupted is this leisure? Negotiation of these leisure practices and its non-negotiable nature are also examined in this study.