Contributing Factors of Career Mobility for African American Parks and Recreation Employees

African Americans and other ethnic minorities are underrepresented in leadership roles and experience barriers to upward career mobility in the professional field of parks and recreation (P&R). This study specifically examined the contributing factors of career mobility for African Americans in P&R. The purpose of the study was to examine differences between those African Americans in the P&R field who have experienced upward career mobility and those who have not experienced upward career mobility in that field. Examinations consisted of the following criteria: • Social capital (i.e., social networks to which employees belong that influence the degree of racial and gender similarities between them and others in their network) (Coleman, 1986) • Social support (i.e., the provision of assistance or comfort to others that typically helps them cope with biological, psychological, and social stressors) (American Psychology Association Dictionary, 2020). • Upward mobility (i.e., the capacity to rise to a higher social or economic position and accept a higher-level position than the one previously held) (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 2020). The study used a causal-comparative design in which the two groups were compared. Findings indicated African American P&R employees who had experienced upward mobility did not significantly differ in terms of social support, social capital, and marginalization experiences from those who had not experienced upward mobility.