Rural-Urban Divide and the Social Stratification in Leisure Participation in China: Application of Multiple Hierarchy Stratification Perspective

This study explores how the additive combined consequences of rural-urban status, gender, age and socioeconomic status influence leisure participation in the Chinese context. Drawing on multiple hierarchy stratification perspective, this study assumes that combinations of these unique variables will form a continuum of statuses from the lower end of the most disadvantaged leisure group to the higher end of the most advantaged leisure group. Using combined data from the trends seen in the 2012, 2013, and 2015 Chinese General Social Survey (N = 34,171), the findings show that rural-urban status, age, education, gender, and family income are the consistent five significant predictors across two leisure types. Rural women who have lower socio-economic statuses occupy the lowest participation in general leisure activities, whereas urban men who have higher socio-economic statuses occupy the highest participation.