The stratification of leisure: Variation in the salience of socioeconomic dimensions in shaping leisure participation in two consumer societies

In this article the authors compare the stratification of culture in France and Israel, testing the homology between lifestyles (leisure activities) and social positions (education, income, and occupational status). They articulate a set of hypotheses pertaining to expected difference between the two countries. They argue that these differences are warranted because France is characterized by strong Western values and a tradition of class differences, while Israel is a new state, economically developed but not Western, with a significant socialist tradition and weakly structured classes. The authors use data from lifestyle surveys conducted in France (2003) and in Israel (2007). Their findings suggest that the division between highbrow and lowbrow lifestyle activities is more clear-cut in France and that the link between lifestyle clusters and social position is more accentuated in France. Their discussion highlights the contribution of this article to the growing body of literature on cross-national differences in cultural stratification and to understanding variation in the salience of socioeconomic dimensions in shaping cultural competencies in consumer society. Finally, the authors discuss the importance of conducting comparative research that includes countries outside Europe and North America.