An integration of constraints and benefitswithin an older women's social club: An examination, extension and critique

The purpose of this study was to investigate and extend aspects of Crompton, Jackson, and Witt's (2005) integrated model of constraints and benefits with a convenience sample of participants in the Red Hat Society® (N = 3,573), a social club for women aged 50 and older In addition to constraints and benefits, model factors included motivations, attitudes, organization-based values, and sociodemo graphic factors (e.g., age, education, income, health). The extended model positing more pathways among factors was a better fit of the data and provided significant additional explanation of participation and realized benefits. Both gendered constraints and organization-based constraints contributed to the final model. The largest contributor to perceived benefits and participation was the value of dressing up. The investigators discuss the implications of these findings in relation to previous research and for the development of social leisure programs for middle-aged and older women in park and recreation settings.