Gender gaps in leisure association participation among children of immigrants: Cultural legacies, parental socialization, and peer contexts

This study examines gender gaps in participation in leisure associations, such as sports, music, and drama clubs, among children of immigrants—an important yet understudied aspect of immigrant integration. Using V-Dem data on gender culture in origin countries and survey data from four Western European societies ( N ≈ 18,000), the authors analyze how cultural legacies, parental socialization, and peer contexts shape gendered participation in leisure associations. Results show that girls from more gender-traditional countries participate markedly less in leisure associations than those from gender-egalitarian backgrounds, indicating persistent cultural legacy influences. At the micro-level, parental socialization of traditional gender values significantly shapes girls’ participation but only partially mediates cultural legacy influences from origin countries. Additionally, peers also influence gendered behaviors, often amplifying or mitigating gender gaps in leisure association participation, highlighting the dual cultural pressures of parental and peer environments. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on immigrant integration while offering novel insights into the intersections of gender, culture, and civic engagement.