Shirley Tillotson

The public at play : gender and the politics of recreation in post-war Ontario

This text focuses on a moment of failed political idealism, when leisure meant much more than fun. Between 1945 and 1961 the government funded the hiring of a cadre of recreation directors in the villages, towns, and cities of Ontario. Liberal thinkers saw this funding as a way to foster a democratic and participatory society; working with these directors, municipalities could start grass-roots community activities, in the process conditioning mind and body for active citizenship. The ideals were high: women and men would play equal roles and the whole effort would be guided by and instilled with the democratic spirit of the emerging welfare state. The dream soon faltered and volunteers fell into petty roles or simply slid into consumerism, leaving power in a few familiar hands. Women and girls were pushed out of the process. This is an examination of just what went wrong. The intrinsic connection between the sidelining of womens leadership and the calcification of regional recreation schemes into bureacracies becomes all too apparent. Ultimately this evolves to be an examination of the many lines of force involved when high politics meets the entrenched value systems of communities.