A Reflection on Cultural Conflicts in Women's Leisure

This essay addresses the cultural implications of leisure by using an example of the relationship of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in Taiwan. Historically, Chinese people have lived in an extended family arrangement, usually with three or four generations together. The modern nuclear family leads to conflicting ways of negotiating the intergenerational relationships and women's leisure. Contradictions for women are brought about by the influences of new Western and old Confucian cultures, which are described in this essay.