The influence of gender and family educational background on leisure satisfaction among Spanish adolescents

Abstract

This article examines the impact of gender and family educational background on the leisure satisfaction of Spanish secondary school-age students (12-16 years). The research design consisted of a quantitative study in the form of a questionnaire (the reduced version of Beard and Ragheb’s (1980) Leisure Satisfaction Scale), which was completed by a sample of 1887 secondary school students in Galicia (Spain). The results indicate a moderate level of satisfaction with leisure activities among the teenagers surveyed, with significant variations observed in relation to gender and parental educational level. Girls from families with a low level of educational attainment were found to be more likely to pass up leisure opportunities than boys, revealing a double gap (educational and gender-based) with regard to leisure satisfaction and a greater risk of precarious leisure. Future research in this area should focus on the development of Leisure Education programmes for children and adolescents.

Keywords

• leisure satisfaction
• leisure constraints
• adolescents
• family
• educational level
• gender inequality