Leisure Time and Social Identity

How could patterns of leisure represent social identity? Whether they are sub-ordinate to the class identity or in the contemporary context of consumption and the post-modern cultural transformations, they could represent some other different social identities based on the patterns of consumption? Considering “leisure time” as a part of “style of life”, the present study attempts to explore social identity. There are two parts in methodology; first the qualitative one, carried through deep interview technique; and the other, surveying through questionnaire. Results distinguish the determining role “social class”, and the combination of “gender” and social class play in modeling distinctions in leisure patterns. In other words, leisure –as the arena for individual choice- is restricted to the social class and gender –as the structural and contextual variables. The strong correlation identity has with the social class and gender denies the post-modern interpretations which emphasis on consumption as the cause of social differentiations.