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A study looks at the perceptions of equity among African Americans and Hispanics working in public recreation in the state of Illinois. by Dan K. Hibbler, Ph.D., CPRP and Kimberly J. Shinew, Ph.D., CPRP More than two decades have passed since affirmative action became law, but the issues surrounding ethnic and racial minorities in the workplace have intensified, often times with great hostility. Most would agree after reviewing workforce statistics or anecdotal evidence that people of color currently make up a larger percentage of senior management than at any other point in U.S. history. However, African Americans and Hispanics still hold less than two percent of executive positions in Fortune 1,000 companies (Thomas & Wetlaufer, 1997). This is a discouraging figure considering that these two ethnic groups represent almost 23 percent of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
The picture of racial diversity in the American workforce remains discouraging. Currently, there is no clear sense of how many people of color are employed in leisure services, however, there is general agreement that they are under represented, particularly in managerial positions. The nation's changing demographics should have an impact on the leisure service workforce. The fastest growing segments of the U.S. population are ethnic and racial minorities, especially Hispanics, African Americans, and Asian Americans (Mathis & Jackson, 1997). According to Mathis and Jackson, this change in demographics will result in a workforce shift where minorities soon will represent a third of the U.S. workforce. Consequently, there should be an increase in number of minorities working in leisure services in the coming years, but what are the perceptions of minorities in the field today? Do they feel that they are treated fairly and equitably? Their perceptions could potentially affect the number of minorities that enter the field in the future. Although leisure researchers have investigated race as a variable in terms of leisure behavior and preferences, there remains a paucity of research that addresses racial issues in the leisure 42 Illinois Parks and Recreation 
services workplace. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of equity among African Americans and Hispanics working in public recreation in the state of Illinois. Methods and Results This study was conducted in three phases. First, the president of the Ethnic Minority Society (EMS) of Illinois provided a list of members who could share insights regarding minorities' work experiences in the field of public recreation in Illinois. Telephone interviews were conducted with eleven African American middle managers in October of 1997. As a follow-up to the interviews, a focus group with seven African Americans and one Hispanic was held in January of 1998 at the IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference. The issues that were discussed during the focus group surrounded the general topic of minority inclusion in the field. The information that was gathered from the telephone interviews and the focus group was then used to construct a questionnaire that was sent to 168 minorities (primarily African American and Hispanic) in full-time positions in public recreation agencies throughout Illinois. The following summarizes the findings of these three studies.
• Results indicated that questionnaire respondents perceived discrimination and inequity in their workplaces. Findings are reported in Table 1. For each of the workplace areas, 30 percent or more of the respondents perceived discrimination in their organizations. When asked to indicate if they had "personally experienced racial discrimination on the job," 44.7 percent indicated "yes," and 77.1 percent reported that they had "seen or heard about racial discrimination on the job." • The majority of the questionnaire respondents, 66 percent, indicated that they did not feel that minorities are being adequately prepared for management-related positions. Moreover, many respondents indicating that they lacked mentors, which may inhibit their ability to matriculate to upper management. • During the telephone interviews respondents were asked if they felt that they could be hired into an executive director's position in a predominantly white community. Four of the eleven indicated that they could be hired, but only if their credentials were considered and not their race. Seven of the eleven respondents indicated that they could not be hired in a predominately white community because of racial issues. • Focus group participants suggested that greater efforts need to be made to
recruit racial and ethnic minorities into the field, recognizing recruitment is just the first step in the process. The issue of retention was also discussed. Feelings of inequity may lead to lower organizational commitment, which in turn affects retention. Implications The findings of this study suggest that many of the study's participants perceived that people of color are under represented in the field. Moreover, many reported that they had personally experienced discrimination and inequitable treatment. Due to future staffing needs and the changing demographics, the hiring base utilized by leisure service agencies will need to be expanded to include more racial and ethnic minority employees. However, based on the results of this study, several issues must be addressed if they are going to be attracted to and remain in leisure services. Simply adding minorities to an organization will not suffice and has the potential of being disastrous. Leisure service managers must first learn how to effectively manage a diverse workforce. This may be one of the most challenging tasks facing management today. A true commitment to diversity must be ingrained into an organization's culture creating an environment that will allow all people to contribute fully and benefit from their experiences. This commitment must not only come from top management, but must be embraced at the grassroots level of an organization. In order for inclusion to be successful, organizational adjustments will have to be made to accommodate people of color entering a traditionally white dominated workplace. The field must reject the traditional notion that people of color are to bear the sole responsibility of equal opportunity and inclusion within the leisure service industry. Rather, the responsibility for change lies with both people of color and the white majority, especially those who occupy positions of leadership and authority, regardless of race. Previous research has suggested that effective strategies for managing diversity should include providing mechanisms for identifying and resolving problems for managing a diverse workforce, creating a culture where diversity is considered an asset, and developing an environment where service organizations must decide whether they meet these three standards. In general, the findings of this study indicate an overall feeling of disparate treatment among study participants. Therefore, the potential for work-related conflicts among various racial and ethnic groups may be a problem. When asked, "have you ever encountered any racial problems on your job?" a respondent from one of the telephone interviews replied, "I have been called nigger," while another respondent replied, "I feel my decisions are overly scrutinized." Given that most professional positions in leisure service organizations require a minimum of a bachelor's degree, leisure professionals are relying on colleges and universities to produce more qualified minority applicants. Bialeschski and Dorward indicated in their (1996) SPRE survey of leisure studies, parks, and recreation curricula that "the percentage of people of color was still quite low in all degree areas..." They also indicated that overall there has been a decrease in minority enrollment across degree programs. Clearly, alternative recruiting strategies need to be explored to successfully attract and retain people of color to the leisure field. One option, for example, is for academicians and practitioners to work together to identify young people of color who have shown interest in the field at an early age. Many practitioners could immediately identify young people who have shown a strong interest in recreation. Practitioners could introduce these individuals to the concept of recreation as a career option and then work with them as they matriculate through high school and on to the university to study recreation and leisure. This illustrates the concept of academicians and practitioners partnering to develop alternative recruitment and retention strategies to develop greater involvement with people of color in the field. These types of partnership are necessary if we want to have a more diverse workforce in the future. This study provides a glimpse into the perceptions and attitudes of minorities working in public recreation in Illinois. The study's participants have sent a clear message; they feel that they are being discriminated against and feel they are experiencing unequal treatment in the workplace. If the leisure services workforce is to reflect the diversity of the national population, efforts need to be made to eliminate these inequities. Otherwise, the leisure services field will not be viewed as an I attractive career option for people of color.
Dan K. Hibbler, Ph.D., CPRP
KimberlyJ. Shinew, Ph.D., CPRP The authors would like to acknowledge the Illinois Association of Park Districts' Research Advisory Council for its financial support of this research project. Portions of this article will be published in the Spring 2000 edition of the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. 44 Illinois Parks and Recreation |
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