Do macro-level changes in the leisure environment alter leisure constraints on adolescent girls?

This study compared the use of public leisure places and the distribution of leisure time among adolescent girls and boys. It focused in particular on changes in the social and environmental constraints on girls' leisure as a consequence of alterations in the macro-level environment associated with the staging of a World Expo. It found that girls attended major clusters of Expo settings at a higher rate than boys, and that girls spent as much time in public leisure places as boys. No gender differences in environmental constraints were found in relation to the rates of existing Expo attractions, both sexes being affected similarly by geographical access. However, there were gender-role differences in time spent in public places in the evening, with boys spending more time with peers and girls spending more time with parents. It was concluded that changes in the macro-level environment may have reduced the extent of gender differences in adolescent leisure, but that constraints relating to gender-role socialization continued to influence behavior