'We construct our worlds within these four walls': urban Indian women's leisure constructions and social justice.

Abstract

Abstract Equality for all genders, reflecting that gender is not a simple binary, is about individuals being able to lead their everyday lives autonomously, with their own freedom to maximize their quality of life. Indian women living an urban life appear to have access to individual and collective leisure opportunities. However, their lived experience of indoor and outdoor leisure are heterogeneous and complex. A range of sociocultural, economic and religious factors affect women's leisure choices and, especially, the freedom to enjoy outdoor leisure. Examining the complexities embedded in women's constructions and experiences of outdoor leisure may help in addressing gender inequalities at another level. This requires understanding the multi-layered complexities of Indian women's lives that are intersected by caste, class, education, financial income, geographical location and invisible sociocultural factors. Indian women's outdoor leisure experiences are deeply linked to rights, social justice, human capabilities and quality of life. In that regard, there are both similarities and differences with issues associated with women's leisure in India and Western societies. A collective effort to further research that adopts an intersectionality approach may illuminate invisible issues that women from heterogeneous contexts experience. While needed for women, such an approach may be beneficial for all genders and society in general.