Youth, Gender, and Public Leisure Spaces

Research has shown that public leisure spaces are highly beneficial for communities and people, but numerous populations lack access to them. Though research has discussed ethnic, race, and socioeconomic barriers that impact access to public leisure spaces, minimal research has been done on identifying the barriers affecting youth of different genders. This study examines how youth’s gender impacts their use of public leisure spaces. Nine interviews were conducted with cisfemale, gender queer, and cismale youth. Participants were asked about their free-time activities, comfort, and recommendations to improve feelings of safety in public leisure areas. Interviews were recorded, and the audio files were transcribed. The transcriptions were coded to identify similarities and themes. Findings showed that cisgender women tended to be more cautious and fearful than their cismale counterparts, with genderqueer people falling between them in most differences. For example, genderqueer youth tended to have a mix of fears from both the cismale and cisfemale perspectives. Study limitations included having a small number of participants and using a convenience sampling to identify potential participants. As views of gender and equality change, it is necessary to examine gender’s impact on public leisure spaces for youth. Cities can also continue to make sure that public leisure spaces are accessible to all