IF I COULD JUST BE SELFISH - CAREGIVERS PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR ENTITLEMENT TO LEISURE

Entitlement to leisure suggests that leisure is a right rather than. a privilege. Unfortunately, many feminist researchers agree that women in general do not feel entitled to leisure. This concept is of particu lar concern for the growing population of informal caregivers, or indi viduals who care for family members in their home without pay. Caregiv ers, typically women, often abandon social interaction, hobbies church , and fitness-related activities because of caregiving responsibilitie s. The purpose of this study was to examine the sense of entitlement t o leisure of women who are informal caregivers of older adult family m embers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 women who served as caregivers for older family members. Four typologies emerged from the data to represent how the women attempted to access their leisure: ra tionalizers, resenters, consolidators, and rechargers. In addition, re sults indicated that their ''ethic of care'' had an impact on their ch oices and perceptions of their right to leisure.