Leisure Activity in Taiwan
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 11: 167-186, 1996. (~) 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Leisure activity and well-being among the elderly in Taiwan: Testing hypotheses in an Asian setting
Z A C H A R Y Z I M M E R 1 & H U I - S H E N G LIN 2 Population Studies Center and Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, and Centre on Aging, University of Victoria; 2Research and Planning Division, Taiwan Provincial Institute of Family Planning, The Republic of China
Abstract. Studies conducted in Western nations suggest hypotheses regarding the relationship between leisure activity and well-being among older adults. For instance, leisure activity is found to increase feelings of emotional well-being, and there are gender differences in both the types of activities in which elders tend to engage and their subsequent influences. This study attempts to verify these relationships among a sample of 4,049 Taiwanese elders (age 60+). Analyses show that men participate in most leisure activities with greater frequency than women; physical activity has the strongest positive influence on emotional well-being; contemplative activity, the only pursuit in which women out-participate men, displays a negative effect for women, and; the impact of different activity types vary by gender. These results both substantiate and refute hypotheses developed in the West, suggesting cultural variation in the impact of activity. Gender differences are explained in the context of role expectations and self-concept development. Key words: Life satisfaction, Well-being, Activity participation, Leisure activity, Taiwan, Elderly
Introduction
M a n y social theories and hypotheses in the field of gerontology have been developed through empirical analyses o f North American and European sampies. Few studies attempt to verify these suppositions in settings where social structures and role expectations differ. While some hypotheses may stand the test o f
Leisure activity and well-being among the elderly in Taiwan: Testing hypotheses in an Asian setting
Z A C H A R Y Z I M M E R 1 & H U I - S H E N G LIN 2 Population Studies Center and Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, and Centre on Aging, University of Victoria; 2Research and Planning Division, Taiwan Provincial Institute of Family Planning, The Republic of China
Abstract. Studies conducted in Western nations suggest hypotheses regarding the relationship between leisure activity and well-being among older adults. For instance, leisure activity is found to increase feelings of emotional well-being, and there are gender differences in both the types of activities in which elders tend to engage and their subsequent influences. This study attempts to verify these relationships among a sample of 4,049 Taiwanese elders (age 60+). Analyses show that men participate in most leisure activities with greater frequency than women; physical activity has the strongest positive influence on emotional well-being; contemplative activity, the only pursuit in which women out-participate men, displays a negative effect for women, and; the impact of different activity types vary by gender. These results both substantiate and refute hypotheses developed in the West, suggesting cultural variation in the impact of activity. Gender differences are explained in the context of role expectations and self-concept development. Key words: Life satisfaction, Well-being, Activity participation, Leisure activity, Taiwan, Elderly
Introduction
M a n y social theories and hypotheses in the field of gerontology have been developed through empirical analyses o f North American and European sampies. Few studies attempt to verify these suppositions in settings where social structures and role expectations differ. While some hypotheses may stand the test o f
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