Housie as leisure pursuit for older working class women

Abstract

This study investigates the involvement of a group of Christchurch women, sixty five years and over, in the game of housie as a way of exploring the meaning these women ascribe to their leisure behaviour and the role of housie in their lives. In order to achieve this aim qualitative research methods were used because they encompass a theory and technique which are sensitive to the interactive and interpretive features of human group life. The results of this research suggest that after a life time of hard work and family commitment, the world view of older working-class women focuses on housie as an enjoyable medium for non-intimate social interaction which is both economically viable and convenient to access. Future research needs to focus on the discovery and exploration of older working-class women's own experience and definition of leisure in order to establish a distinctive understanding of leisure for this group.