CHANGES IN SOCIETY

Changes in SocietyGreat Grandparents• idle handsGrandparents• refresh from workParents• work to support their leisure/playToday’s young adults• work hard and play hardChildren/Grandchildren• Play is the purpose of life

Urbanization Population movement

Rural to UrbanDrastic increase in the American PopulationDevelopment of “Factory” towns

Work Week Was 70 to 80 hours a week

As a result of labor unions became 40 hours a week

Decrease in child labor

Protestant Work EthicThe Industrial Revolution

Entrenched the thought of work as good and leisure as evil

Despite the use of Protestant Work EthicLeisure and Recreation interests grewWork week reduced to 40 hours

Leisure Interests 1800’sProfessional Sport

Grew in popularityWrestlingFoot racesShooting eventsHorse races

Sports Promotions emerged as a business

Bare knuckle fighting evolved into boxing with gloves

Social Class DifferencesBaseball known as a working class sportDevelopment of permanent baseball

stadiums

General Popular PastimesCroquetArcheryLawn Tennis

Women began participating in recreation activities during the 1800’s

Growth of Commercial AmusementLarge Cities

New forms of amusement/recreation developedDance HallsShooting galleriesBowling alleysBilliard parlorsBeer gardensRed light districts

Recreation Movement Late 1800’s

Education and improving intellectual cultivation became a civic concern.Development of free public librariesRecreation MovementForms of leisure activity were provided in an

organized mannerState Parks were being developedMunicipal Parks were being developed

because of reckless development of urban growth

Playground MovementWHY?Wave of urbanization reaches its peak

Population doubled -14 million to 30 million between 1880 & 1900

At the centuries end 28 cities had a population over 100,000

Social reformers called tenements buildings overcrowded, filthy, dark, with out of control crime

Boston Sand Garden was the first playground in the country

Designed specifically for childrenPiles of sand with some play equipmentMonitored by citizens until 1887 when women were hired to

monitor 1889 the city of Boston dedicated city money to add support

Pioneers of the Playground MovementJoseph Lee – Father of the playground movement

Organized playgrounds in vacant lots

Luther Halsey GulickInstrumental in development of the Playground Association – 1906Distinguished play from recreation

Jane AddamsEstablished the Hull House (a settlement house – middle class volunteers would live and share knowledge and culture with their poorer neighbors) in Chicago housing a model playground of the time

Styles of PlaygroundsTraditional - consists of steel slides, seesaws, swings,

merry-go rounds and climbing apparatus placed on dirt, asphalt or grass.

Contemporary - Offer more stimulation, children can modify equipment to create new challenges, items such as tires, railroad ties, and cable spools are used to build wooden climbing platforms, ladders, tire nets, suspension bridges.

Adventure - This playground style began in post-WW 2 Europe when children designed their own playgrounds out of sites of bombed out buildings.

Modern - Today, designers are combining some elements of each of the playground styles to create a safer and more varied play environment that offer a developmental progression of challenges and skill building opportunities. Equipment is safe, reliability, easy to install, and manufactured in an array of colors and shapes. Soft contained play equipment playgrounds offer soft, pliable tunnels, climbers, slides and other moving components.

Late 20th Century

Family Structure –

Between 1970 and 1997 the proportion of children in 2 parent families decreased from 85% to 68%. That decline was higher for African-American families.

At the end of the 20th century over 37% of all families lived below the poverty level

The number of people working has also grown over the past two decades as more women have entered the work force and as the number of single parent families increased.

Baby boomers waited longer to have children and the number of children was smaller than in the past.

The number of Baby Boomers started moving into their senior years in 2011 and will be a population bulge for the next 20 years.

These seniors are more active, have more money and live longer than older adults previously did.

Health Conditions –High numbers of overweight children and

adults.Better healthcare

Advanced medical technologyPharmaceutical advancements

Social Development –Violence diminishes the perceived freedom

that people feel which changes human behavior

Increased diversity in the U.S. with a larger number of immigrants

Values from the U.S.The U.S. is an Urban society with an Urban

value system.Values of consumption and conspicuous

displayex: buying products to show how wealthy

one is, expecting campgrounds to have indoor plumbing, air conditioning and electricity

Work as a ValueAlthough having a good time is an

American tradition, few nations have exhibited more respect for the work ethic than the U.S.

The 40 hour work week is the standard. However, with technology and commuting, those hours have extended.

America ranks below most industrialized nations in the average number of vacations per year.

Values as a Basis for Change

Sociologists refer to social and personal values as those beliefs and behaviors that an individual or a society deems important to its welfare.

Every society develops a social value systemAs society changes when different groups

develop (ex. Divorced population increased) and the value system is altered.

Recreation and Leisure ChangesMore than 70 federal agencies develop

programs and policies that affect recreation and leisure behaviors or supervise and maintain recreation resources.Fish and Wildlife Service (regulatory)National Park Service (resource

management)

The demand for recreation on a local level has extended to developing services and partnerships for older adults, childcare and after school programs for youth.

Tourism has become a year round activity and have an economic impact on the local communities.

Technology has influenced leisure and communication by providing instant entertainment.