Doing the right thing? UK lone mothers on benefits and their sense of entitlement to leisure

This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the subjective well-being of UK lone mothers, and explores how their sense of entitlement to leisure and leisure activities are shaped by their experiences of being benefit claimants. Twenty lone mothers with recent experience of living on social assistance benefits were interviewed. Their leisure activities were analysed in terms of purposive and enjoyment-oriented activities. The findings reveal purposive leisure was given higher value and a greater share of mothers’ free time than enjoyment-oriented leisure. Purposive activities were justified as a meaningful use of leisure time which supported mothers moving off benefits and into paid work and enjoyment-oriented activities were often framed as a waste of time. The findings suggest that the socio-political discourse surrounding benefit claimants in the UK contributed to shaping the values mothers assigned to each activity type therefore illustrating social policy operating as an instrument of social control