Women's leisure in Greece: Fighting for ‘a time of one's own’

Abstract

Purpose – Since the 1970s, with the end of dictatorship and accession to membership of the European Union, women's status and social image have dramatically changed in Greece. The chapter investigates the extent to which a space for women's leisure has evolved in Greece in the last years. Indeed, leisure time has been widely seen as a modern social temporality where processes of individuation, cultural participation, and appropriation intersect. The purpose of the research is to investigate not only the uses and meanings of leisure by working, married women, but also their desires, aims, and attitudes regarding this social temporality.

Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research methodology is employed involving semistructured interviews with 40 women living and working in Athens.

Findings – The findings of the study show evidence of the growing importance for Greek women of leisure time as an opportunity for more autonomy and independence in the mid of various social, economic, and familial constraints. Leisure activities, especially in the public sphere, are increasingly demanded by women as a right to “a time of one's own” distinct from family leisure. Within this framework, leisure activities become a source of transformations, especially in the familial life, as new values and lifestyles emerge from the sphere of free time forming new subjectivities. Thus, leisure time represents a base from which many Greek women fight against traditional stereotypes and roles daring to confront a male dominated society in economic, political, informational, and scientific spheres.

Research limitations/implications – The social homogeneity as well as the small size of the sample do not allow for wider generalizations.

Originality/value – The chapter discusses a largely neglected aspect of women's everyday lives in Greece. It analyses the gendered nature of leisure and offers insights on its significance for women's individuality and recognition in Greece.

Citation

Koronaiou, A. (2010), "Women's leisure in Greece: Fighting for ‘a time of one's own’", Texler Segal, M. (Ed.) Interactions and Intersections of Gendered Bodies at Work, at Home, and at Play (Advances in Gender Research, Vol. 14), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 257-273. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1529-2126(2010)0000014015