Relationship between males' serious leisure and their conformity to masculine gender norms

Abstract

Social norms have influenced leisure participation. Serious leisure pursuits are affected by time constraints as they, by definition, involve time commitments. The goal of leisure is to quench a desire for a fulfilling experience. Socially structured factors influence these experiences. Various attributes make-up what is considered normal expectations for men in the United States of America and these expectations have many inputs and exist across the lifespan. Many males are in search for masculinity in as many unique ways that people have searched for a suitable personal identity. Common characteristics of masculinity include action oriented interests and task completion. This study investigates if a relationship exists between males' serious leisure participation and their conformity to masculine gender norms. Online survey methodology was conducted with 74 participants and their responses to 56 questions: eight demographic questions, the 18 questions of the SLIM short form, and the 30 questions of the CMNI-30. The data did not support that there was a relationship in males' serious leisure participation and their conformity to masculine gender norms. Analysis of the data showed high probability values and were indicative of insignificant evidence, if any at all, that a relationship existed in males' serious leisure participation and their conformity to masculine gender norms. However, there was no credible evidence that there was no proof of a relationship in males' serious leisure participation and their conformity to masculine gender norms.