Leisure Across a Lifetime: Memories, Desires, and Barriers Among Older Adults in Brazil
This is a chapter called: Barreras para el ocio: Reflexiones de las personas mayores sobre las (im)posibilidades del ocio a lo largo de la vida, is part of a book called: El valor del ocio para la transformación social. My co-authors are: @Luciana Pereira, @Ricardo Uvinha, and Aurora Ortuzar.
The study, part of Luciana’s postdoctoral research, explores an important question: What does a lifetime of leisure look like – and what gets in the way?
Through powerful stories from older adults in Brazil, we hear about joyful memories of playful childhoods and vibrant teenage years. Yet, we also encounter unfulfilled dreams, such as the longing for learning to swim, traveling abroad, or simply having time for oneself.
Barriers such as limited financial resources, fear, and family responsibilities often prevented people from accessing leisure fully throughout life. The message is clear: leisure is an important part of human development and more public policies to guarantee that is necessary, especially for the people with less financial access and resources.
This research calls for inclusive, long-term leisure policies and education, starting in childhood and extending into old age.
Link to the book: