Gendered perspectives of leisure patterns and constraints of university students in Ghana

Abstract

Leisure researchers have contended that leisure patterns and constraints are significantly influenced by gender. Despite this assertion, little has been done to compare gender differences across leisure patterns and constraints within a single study population beyond the treatment of sex as a variable. The focus of this study was to assess the gendered leisure patterns and constraints of university students in Ghana, Africa. Data were collected from randomly sampled students at the University of Cape Coast and analyzed with a chi square test and a multivariate analysis of variance. Female students recorded low participation in three main domains of leisure, namely socializing, creative, and physical activities, as compared to their male counterparts. Intrapersonal and interpersonal leisure constraints were found to be associated with female students’ leisure pursuits. It was therefore concluded that female students are more constrained in their leisure pursuits than their male counterparts.