Leisure, Sport and Tourism: Politics, Policy and Planning A.J. Veal Chapter 15 Policy and Planning in Particular Groups

CONTENTS Gender – Women and girls – Men and boys – GayS/lesbians Socio-economic status Ethnicity Disability – Age – Children – Youth – The elderly

GENDER For many aspects of leisure/sport/tourism males and females have different behaviour patterns, attitudes, constraints Early research considered ‘gender blind’ ( but may not be as true for Australia – see Veal, 2011 )* Recent research has sought to correct this * Veal, A. J. (2011) Leisure Participation Patterns and Gender: the survey evidence on Australian adults. Annals of Leisure Research, forthcoming

Women and Girls In an equal society there would be few special ‘women’s needs’, but meanwhile key issues include: – childcare responsibilities – lack of childcare services at leisure facilities – after dark security – access to facilities Research highlights women’s lower participation in sport: – cultural expectations – poor access to facilities traditionally dominated by men’s organisations – lack of media coverage There have been policy responses from organisations such as Sport England In other sectors –– women’s participation levels are similar to, or higher than, those of males (see Veal, 2011): – eg arts, informal outdoor recreation, tourism

Men and boys A number of issues have arisen in recent years In relation to boys: – whether risk-reduced approaches to physical activities meets boys’ developmental needs – lack of male role models at primary school level – in separated/divorced parents, father’s role being associated only with leisure In relation to men: – the fathering role and leisure – traditional and stereotypical ‘masculinities’ and leisure role expectations

Gays/lesbians Leisure of gays/lesbians emerged in recent years as a focus of research While there are major general public policy issues in regard to rights and discrimination, few implications for in traditional public leisure provision areas have been highlighted in the research literature

SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS Primarily occupational status of people in employment and his/her dependents Sometimes referred to as ‘class’ or ‘social class’ or socio-economic group (SEG) Correlated with wealth/income and other factors: education and general lifestyle Leisure aspects revealed, in part, in household expenditure data ( see Table 15.1 ) – Note how differences influenced by household size

Household expenditure, UK, 2007 (Table 15.1) HOUSEHOLDS, £/week Bottom 10%AverageTop 10% Ratio of top to bottom Household expenditure Size of h’hold, persons: Expenditure itemsPERSONS, £/week Leisure Food/drink (non-alcoholic) Clothing/footwear Housing/household Transport/communication Other Total expenditure

Australia, Lowest 20% (A)Highest 20% (B)Ratio (B/A) Leisure expenditure examplesAverage $ per week Alcohol Books etc Gambling Computers Holidays Australia Holidays overseas Transport (30% of all transport exp.) Total leisure expenditure Total household exp.* Leisure as % of total household exp.* Household size Total leisure expenditure per capita Total household exp.* per capita Data source: ABS, Part of Table 5.6, Australian Leisure (Lynch & veal, 2006) * excluding income tax payments and superannuation contributions

Socio-economic status contd Planning sometimes based primarily on socio-econ- omic status – ie. priority given to areas with low SES This is a blunt instrument, because: areas with high proportions of people in deprived categories may not have a majority in such groups evidence of increased participation resulting from such policies is limited people on low income may have other priorities than leisure provision may neglect ‘public good’ policies, which apply to all

Ethnicity Ethnic group: a group with a common culture – so everyone belongs to an ethnic group, which may be a majority or minority. Policies often directed at enabling particular minority groups to participate. Current patterns of participation present a mixed picture

Sport participation and ethnic minorities, England, (Rowe & Champion, 2000) Black Caribbean Black African Black - Other IndianPakistani Bangla- deshi Chinese General pop’n % of persons aged 16 and over participating in 4 week before interview All sport Walking Swimming Keep fit Football Cycling Snooker Sample N

Arts/culture participation by ethnic groups, England, WhiteMixedAsianBlackChinese/other % of persons aged 16+ participating at least once in year Arts attendance Arts participation Museum/gallery Public library Historic site Source: DCMS, Taking Part survey

DISABILITY Disabilities include: – mental illness – physical disability, including deafness dumbness blindness nervous/musculo-skeletal ilnesses such as diabetes, asthma, etc. ‘Deinstitutionalisation’ means that people with severe disabilities previously living in and catered for by institutions now live in, and should be catered for by, the community.

Disability contd A human rights approach, supported by: – UN declarations (see Ch. 4) – UK Disability Discrimination Act,1995 – Australian Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 Places an obligation on leisure/sport/tourism organisations to ensure access for people with disabilities. However, even with legal backing, some organisations are slow to comply. A market approach notes that people with disabilities are an increasingly significant market – especially given the association of some disabilities with the ageing process

AGE-RELATED Children Youth Elderly

Children Concerns about lack of physical activity (and poor diet) and increasing sedentary (sceen- based) activity resulting in : – many children being overweight/obese – future health problems Leisure-related data ambivalent

Young people (6-16) and sports participation, England, : increasing/static activities (Table 15.4) 1994 %2002 %Change Hockey14 - Netball17 - Tenpin bowling Basketball Bowls (carpet/lawn)912+3 Dance classes Football (inc. 5-a-side) Tennis Golf Rounders Table tennis Volleyball Total: 12 activities+32

Young people (6-16) and sports participation, England, : decreasing activities (Table 15.4) 1994 %2002 %Change Badminton Ice skating Rugby Swimming, diving, Baseball/softball Cricket Squash118-3 Darts Snooker, pool Total 9 activities-28 Net total+4 For comparable data on Australian children see Webfile15.01

Youth ‘Youth’ covers early teens to early 20s Provision for young people is one of the key historical origins of public leisure services – linked to the prevention of juvenile crime Current concerns with : – drug use – excessive screen-based leisure (as opposed to physical activity)

Youth contd There is considerable research on youth and leisure, subcultures, etc. But it quickly becomes dated with changing lifestyles. Traditional ‘youth’ facility is the ‘youth club’: – often caters only for a minority – unlike adult provision, typically there is only one youth club in any given community

The elderly Ageing of the population is a worldwide phenomenon, especially in developed economies – see Fig and Webfile11.01 Changing profile: – Fitter, due to improved diet etc. – Wealthier due to superannuation – including younger people due to early retirement Community benefits from providing facilities for the elderly: – improved health, mental and physical

The elderly contd The elderly are able to make use of facilities in off-peak times or seasons ‘Continuity theory’ suggests that many elderly do not take up new leisure activities after retirement (although some do) – suggesting it is desirable to develop a leisure repertoire earlier in life