Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2008) and have a beneficial effect on well-being (Gilbert & Abdullah, 2004);
research has also looked at the social value of holidays for disadvantaged
families (McCabe, 2009; Minnaert
et al
., 2009).
A realisation exists among researchers that 'family leisure' has an under-
lying ideological notion that reflects a romanticised version of family life
(Harrington, 2001; Hilbrecht
et al.
, 2008). This idealisation of family leisure
can have negative consequences for parents through increased feelings of
guilt and stress, especially among mothers, as the ideal of family together-
ness can be difficult to achieve (Shaw, 2001). Several studies have found that
mothers report a less positive leisure experience than fathers (e.g. Freysinger,
1994; Wearing, 1993). There is increasing research evidence that family leisure
activities may not always be a positive experience for all family members
(Larson
et al.
, 1997; Shaw & Dawson, 2001). Acknowledgment of both the
benefits and the difficulties of family leisure can lead to a more realistic view
of this valued aspect of family life (Shaw & Dawson, 2003/2004).
Within the substantial literature addressing women's leisure (e.g. Cyba,
1992; Kay, 2001; Shaw, 1985) two key issues appear: (1) women's experiences
of time tend to be much more fragmented than those of many men, and
(2) women tend to be the facilitators of others' leisure, and only secondarily
the recipients of leisure themselves (Kinnaird & Hall, 1996), which means
that family leisure becomes a source of both satisfaction and frustration for
women (Clough, 2001). It also means that women participate significantly
less in physically active leisure than men (Miller & Brown, 2005). These
issues are associated with the 'ethic of care' in relation to women's leisure
(Bialeschki, 1994; Henderson & Allen, 1991). Gilligan's research has shown
that women's greater concerns for social responsibility and relation-
ships place a constraint upon their lives as others are often placed before
themselves (Gilligan, 1982). Women often receive double messages about
the value of individuality and achievement, and also the need to be in con-
nection with others (Chodorow, 1989), and thus lack autonomy compared
with men (Wearing & Wearing, 1988).
Tourism research on family holiday experiences from the mother 's
perspective provides a partial insight into tensions and stresses within the
family group on holiday.
Recognising a general absence of gender research
in the tourism literature, researchers in the 1990s examined impacts on
host women, gendered guest-host relationships, employment of women in
tourism and, to a lesser extent, women as tourists (e.g. Kinnaird & Hall,
1994; Sinclair, 1997; Swain, 1995). The female emphasis of socialising and
interactions with others is highlighted by Chaplin (1999), compared with the
male emphasis on action and self. Selänniemi (2002) concluded that women
more often experience their holiday through relationships, while men seem
more likely to let go into a liminoid float, free of everyday demands.
Other tourism studies informed by a feminist research perspective are
focused on mothers' family holiday experiences. For example, Cerullo and
