AT THE CENTER OF THEIR LIVES - INDO CANADIAN WOMEN, THEIR FAMILIES AND LEISURE

The purpose of this research was to determine how important or central leisure was in the lives of women immigrants from India. Ten Indo Can adian women were interviewed about their lives in India and Canada, ab out their families and their work, and about aspects of their lives th at provide satisfaction, fulfilment, relaxation and enjoyment. Rather than start with a pre-determined, western definition of leisure, the s tudy was exploratory, and aimed at developing an understanding of leis ure from the perspective of the participants. This qualitative study u sed participants' comments to develop an understanding of their lifest yle. A model was developed which illustrates the centrality of family and the lack of importance of private time and personal leisure. The s tudy showed that private time, which is often associated with the oppo rtunity for leisure was not viewed as something positive or desirable for the women in the study.