“Daddy's Gone and He'll Be Back in October”: Farm Women's Experiences of Family Leisure

Abstract

This study addresses the role of family leisure on the family farm. An interpretive interview approach was used to explore the meanings of family leisure for a purposively selected group of farm women in Ontario, Canada. The analysis showed that while children's leisure, family excursions and vacations were all highly valued, attempts to facilitate these activities were often experienced with disappointment and frustration due to the demands of farm life and the absence of the husbands from family activities. The women's experiences were seen as “single parenthood within the marital context.” Comparisons are drawn between the family leisure experiences for these farm women and previous research on leisure in urban families. The importance of context for understanding family leisure is emphasized.

KEYWORDS:

• Family leisure
• rural
• women