In Western societies, leisure has been a major force in changing people's lives. The containment of working time and the rise in spendi ng power have been long-term trends and are likely to continue over the next decades. While growth of leisure may not have eradicated differences by social class, gender or age, it has transformed how these differences are expressed, challenged or modified. In parallel, leisure studies has itself developed significantly as an academic discipline. This second edition is a complete rewrite of the first edition published in 1999. It is an introductory undergraduate text on leisure. It has a sociological perspective and discusses recent debates and research on topics such as post-modernity, consumer cultures and lifestyles.

This introductory textbook discusses the major theories and debates within the sociology of leisure. Illustrated throughout with real-world examples, the new edition has been completely re-written to take into account new developments in the area. Subjects covered include: how leisure is changing in post-modern times; how and why work-life balance has become an important issue; whether women are still the disadvantaged sex in respect of access to leisure; whether leisure has answers to the problems of ageing populations, and whether leisure-based lifestyles are becoming significant sources of social and personal identity. The book also examines whether leisure is being over-whelmed by commercialised consumer cultures.