The life course.

This chapter describes basic data on how leisure behaviour changes over the life course, followed by a discussion of how, in the advanced industrial societies, the life course itself has changed since the mid-20th century. Further discussions focus on the uses of leisure that are characteristic of successive stages of youth, adulthood and later life. Leisure differences related to social class and gender within each life stage are considered. Finally, the changes and continuities in the leisure tastes and behaviour of the same individual as they move through life are tackled.