Discrimination in the Social Context of Leisure: A Response.

LEISURE; ETHNIC relations; DISCRIMINATION (Sociology); SOCIAL structure; SEXUAL orientation; ASSIMILATION (Sociology)

The article focuses on the discrimination model, developed by Monica Stodolska, which has taken on a complex task in trying to help explain discrimination as it occurs in leisure services. A concern about the social context of society as well as within leisure service organizations helps in understanding that the source of perceived discrimination is not necessarily personal. Just as in studies of women, studies of discrimination toward ethnic and racial minorities must focus on the relative positions of groups of people in society, and the influence of social as well as individual attitudes on other people's lives. Thus, Stodolska's paper emphasizes that explanations for the difficulties that some people of color have within some leisure settings should be examined within the broader cultural context of discrimination. The social psychological approach to leisure has tended to focus on individual experiences or perceptions with attention paid to distinguishing and documenting types of constraints that individuals face and the relationship between these constraints and leisure behavior. Although Stodolska does not propose to be developing grand theory to explain all forms of discrimination, she offers that this model might extend beyond members of ethnic and racial minorities to include age, social status, sexual orientation, and disability.