Peer-reviewed article

Persistent gender gaps in weekend leisure from ages 10 to 17: A multi-national time diary analysis since 2010.

Chang G, Bhattacharya L, Kan MY · 1 Sept 2026

Abstract

Gender inequalities in leisure time are understudied comparatively in East Asia and the Global South. Most studies often analyze the average of weekend and weekday activities, underestimating the gaps during the days when adolescents have the most discretionary time. Using time diary data from seven countries in the West, Asia, and Africa, we examine gender gaps in weekend leisure time across early and late adolescence (10-17 years). Universally, girls engage in less leisure than boys, driven by low engagement in sports/exercise, especially for girls in Asian countries. There is little evidence that more gender equal countries have smaller gender gaps. Girls and boys engage in gender-typical activities; boys engage in computer/internet use more, while girls engage more in conversation. Engagement in sports/exercise falls between early and late adolescence, and the gaps persist across ages in all countries except Belgium. Any narrowing in gender gaps across age is through boys lowering their engagement in sports/exercise or increasing it through conversation, with only a decline in leisure seen in girls. Overall, gendered inequality in leisure emerges early and persists throughout adolescence.