ABSTRACT
In contrast to an inherited or repurposed second home, owners are able to stipulate how their leisure practices are catered for when they employ an architect to design their second home. This longitudinal study examines gendered experiences and practices of leisure at architect designed second homes in New Zealand, through an analysis of written and visual discourse in an architecture and lifestyle magazine over a period of 80 years. The identified themes were persistent over the 80 years, but the discourses evolved through time and indicate the socio-cultural context in which they were written. The findings suggest that although the opportunity to imagine a ‘life lived differently’ exists at the second home, for the second homeowners featured in the magazine articles at least, this does not extend to gender relations. This may be in part due to the very nature of the second home, whereby it is difficult to escape the deeply ingrained gender ideologies associated with home/work, productive/reproductive dichotomies.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. A self-catering holiday is one where the accommodation is self-contained and furnished, providing the means to prepare and cook one’s own meals.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Trudie Walters
Trudie Walters is a lecturer in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Her research interests include media representations and individuals’ experiences of leisure phenomena, with a particular focus on events and second homes. Trudie serves on the World Leisure Organisation Board of Directors, and is the Member Engagement Officer on the Board of the Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies. She is also Associate Editor and Reviews Editor of the journal Annals of Leisure Research.