Socio-Cultural Strategy

Socio-Cultural Strategy

Gender-based study of research findings on leisure time spending among the elderly; policies and strategies

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Associate Research Professor of Sociology, Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/scs.2025.527341.1701
Abstract
This article examines the importance of leisure time in the lives of the elderly as a growing group, its place in relation to increasing the quality of life, and consequently how to spend leisure time based on research. The goal is to clarify the context for social planning and policymaking by explaining the differences in leisure time between elderly women and men, both in terms of quantity and activity. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach and a meta-synthesis method, and a systematic review of all relevant and available research was conducted. The most important findings of the research are: the leisure time spent by the elderly of both sexes varies depending on the time, type of activity, and place of spending it. Gender distinction is most evident in leisure sports activities. Women's less independence, responsibility for household work and caregiving roles, and generally lack of access, living alone, and costs are among the main barriers that largely determine how much free time is spent. Finally, according to categories, implementation strategies and operational steps have been proposed to achieve them.
Keywords
Subjects

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  • Receive Date 31 May 2025
  • Revise Date 07 October 2025
  • Accept Date 09 October 2025