Diversity and ideology: Changes in Canadian family life and implications for leisure

Abstract

Consistent with some of the tenets of postmodern society, there is evidence of a growing diversity of family forms and structures in Canada. At the same time new, and gendered, ideologies of motherhood and fatherhood have had considerable influence on parenting ideals and practices. The implications of these changes for leisure are discussed. It is argued that, despite the diversity of family structures, a dominant ideology of parenting has emerged which has led to a new orthodoxy about family leisure. Further, these changes are associated with a higher valuation of the instrumental aspects of leisure, a higher workload for parents (especially for mothers), and an increased tension between personal and family leisure. Such trends do not appear to reflect greater freedom or choice as postmodernism might imply, but are congruent with notions of individualization and privatization of the family.