Family Leisure in Rural and Urban Environments: A Question of Context

Abstract

Family leisure increasingly plays a fundamental role as an educational resource that enhances human development and enriches intrafamily relationships. Theoretically, the conceptualization of free time and leisure, the typologies and agents of family leisure, and the benefits, difficulties, and satisfaction are discussed at home. This empirical study aims to describe the family leisure patterns shown by adolescents according to the context in which they reside, allowing a comparison of the rural leisure profile with the urban leisure profile, which are traditionally considered as differentiated contexts. The sample consisted of 1054 adolescents (51.6% boys and 48.4% girls) from Spain, stratified by place of residence (48.2% urban and 51.8% rural), who were administered the questionnaire “Evaluation of family leisure practices”. The data were processed using SPSS, and the results indicate that scarcity of time and economic resources in an urban setting and repetition and family conflicts in a rural setting are the most representative difficulties. In addition, the adolescents living in urban environments identify more benefits, have a more diversified practice, and have greater family satisfaction than the adolescents in rural areas. Both coincide with the importance of the family itself as a promoter of family leisure. In conclusion, the reconversion of social policies and the promotion of family educational procedures in rural areas to reduce the differences between the two contexts are highlighted.