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Ephemeral Masculinities? Tracking Men, Partners and Fathers in the Geography of Family Holidays

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Men, Masculinities, Travel and Tourism

Part of the book series: Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences ((GSSS))

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Abstract

Whereas holidays commonly represent leisure time away from work (for adults) or school (for children), family holidays seem to evoke a more complicated picture. Significantly, the notion of a holiday as a time ‘without the watch’ (Daly, 1996), where there is no need to manage family schedules linking house-school-work, is particularly heuristic. Additionally, the physical and/or psychological distance from the world of paid work helps to foster aspirations of an increased chance of absolute and unconditional enjoyment for parents and children being together. Parents recognise that the short time they spend during the year with children may somehow be filled by the investment in a holiday time together (Gillis, 2000). Even though children have other opportunities for holidays (e.g., with the grandparents or in summer camps), the possibility of enjoying quality time together is perceived as a temporary opportunity, almost ephemeral, to be the family that the constraints of the daily life do not allow.

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Authors
  1. Rosalina Costa
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Conventry University, UK

    Thomas Thurnell-Read (Senior Lecturer in Sociology) (Senior Lecturer in Sociology)

  2. Newcastle University, UK

    Mark Casey (Lecturer in Sociology) (Lecturer in Sociology)

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© 2015 Rosalina Costa

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Costa, R. (2015). Ephemeral Masculinities? Tracking Men, Partners and Fathers in the Geography of Family Holidays. In: Thurnell-Read, T., Casey, M. (eds) Men, Masculinities, Travel and Tourism. Genders and Sexualities in the Social Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137341464_9

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