A National Examination of Gender Equity in Public Parks and Recreation

Abstract

Despite the number of women in the field of public parks and recreation, gender equity continues to be a problem. The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of workplace equity in public parks and recreation on a national level. The impact these perceptions have on workplace attitudes such as organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship was also examined. Subjects for this study were drawn from the American Parks and Recreation Society membership list using a systematic stratified random sampling procedure. Chi-square, multivariate and univariate analyses were used for data analyses. Data indicated that there were significant differences between men and women with regard to perceptions of equity as well as levels of organizational citizenship. Perceptions of inequity also appear to be precursors to lower levels of organizational commitment.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender equity
• discrimination
• work attitudes
• leisure services