WOMEN AND THE ELDERLY IN CHICAGO PUBLIC PARKS

An observational study of 13 public parks revealed systematic differen ces in leisure and recreation activities between men and women and amo ng elderly people and those in other age groups. Both women and the el derly were underrepresented among public park users. Women were more l ikely to make use of the public park during the afternoon and early ev ening hours and were most often observed in small family groups; their activities reflected traditional gender and family roles. Elderly peo ple made regular and intensive use of specific areas within individual parks, especially in the morning hours when there were a smaller numb er of people present. Although most studies of leisure and recreation activity have relied on household samples and survey data, the results presented here underscore the importance of incorporating observation al data for a more complete understanding of the nature and importance of (a) urban recreation activity among population subgroups such as w omen and the elderly and (b) the social interaction between these peop le and other user groups.