Beyond the Ideology of Motherhood: Leisure as Resistance

Wearing, Betsy

doi:10.1177/144078339002600102

Cited by 104 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Many scholars have recognized that LTPA, while a relative site for freedom, pleasure, choice, and personal growth, offers the potential for resistance as individuals find personal empowerment through challenging power structures embedded in social life (Dionigi, 2002;Green, 1998;Wearing, 1990). For instance, it has been suggested that although women are variously constrained in their LTPA by hegemonic power structures, gender stereotyping and an ethic of care linked to marriage and motherhood (Deem & Gilroy, 1998;Henderson & Allen, 1991), they are also capable of resisting these normalizing discourses (Foucault, 1980;Rojek, 1989;Wearing, 1998).…”

Section: Ltpa and Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Mothers with young children: Caring for the self through the physical activity space

2016

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Mothers with young children have been consistently identified in public health discourses as having lower levels of leisure time physical activity than the general population. They are subsequently positioned as an at risk population susceptible to, for example, weight gain and postnatal depression. Women's ethic of care and good mother discourses work together to constrain mother's physical activity levels. In addition, public health discourses attempt to mobilize mothers into engaging in regular, rigorous sessions of leisure time physical activity, which often creates a calculative relation to self as women try to meet the expectations prescribed by health professionals. In this article, however, we employ Foucault's ethics of self to explore how 18 mothers with young children problematized and resisted prescriptive notions such as the ethic of care to create a space to begin to practice self-care through participation in leisure-time physical activity.

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Section: Ltpa and Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Mothers with young children: Caring for the self through the physical activity space

2016

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“…Women, tbey say, depend more beavily on tbe non-productive spbere of consumption and leisure as a source of some autonomy and sense of individual identity (Wearing 1990a). During tbe early cbildrearing years, for example, leisure space for motbers of young cbildren bas been sbown to be linked to a sense of well-being, individual autonomy and identity (Wimbusb 1988;Wearing 1990bWearing , 1990c. Feminist analysis bas also rewritten tbe notion of identity; Butler (1990) in a radical re-writing of tbe perennial sociological debate on agency and structure questions tbe binary opposition of tbe two concepts claiming tbere is no T wbicb expresses an inner identity.…”

Section: And Idratity In Adtdescencementioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent women, identity and smoking: leisure experience as resistance

Wearing

Kelly³

1994

Sociology Health & Illness

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Recent theorising concerning leisure has suggested that this sphere, along with the family, the educational system and the occupation system, contributes to identity formation and more especially to gender identity. However, feminist analyses suggest that leisure can be both an area for the subordination and domination of women and an area of resistance to dominant ideologies and discourses. Questions are raised within this framework as to the need in late adolescence for girls, because of a lack of opportunity within their leisure experiences, to seek identity in other ways-smoking may be a form of resistance but also adopted bec^ause of a lack of leisure opportunities suitable for them. While males have role models and a culture that provides them with individual competitive pursuits which at least give them a perception of identity, women lack such a culture and are thus deprived of the opportunity to participate in leisure activities to the same extent as males. This paper argues that adventurous leisure which provides physic:al, mental and emotional challenge and satisfaction can provide a sound basis to resist gender stereotypes and provide altematives to tobacco consumption.

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“…With the progression of feminist research in the late 1990s, there has been a shift in thinking towards a feminist post-structuralist Foucauldian (1983) power analysis of leisure (Shaw 1994;Wearing, 1990Wearing, , 1998Wearing and Wearing, 1988). This feminized perspective views leisure as a self-constructed "heterotopic" space where women and men can empower themselves to negotiate and resist power structures in society (Wearing, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Since a condition of Foucault's power analysis requires relative freedom, leisure as a self-constructed "heterotopic" space is a realm where women and men can exercise power and control by negotiating and resisting structural forces. That is, leisure as a space for relative freedom allows women to deconstruct institutionalized power structures and resist structural forces (Shaw, 1994;Wearing, 1990). Seemingly, a feminist post-structural Foucauldian power analysis views women as powerful change agents who have the ability to exercise power and control to achieve increasing freedom of choice in their leisure lives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%