women going out

I have read fatwas about how women should only go out for a dire need but no one seems to clarify exactly what counts as a 'dire need' or 'valid need'. But from what I understand scholars consider 'occasional leisure/recreation/entertainment' a valid need but not going to school? Going to visit a friend, going to a social event at the mosque, going to a park or going for a walk, going out to your garden to plant flowers - none of these are technically a 'need' or remotely 'dire'. Would these be considered a 'valid need' in Islam or is it haram for a Muslim woman to do these things?