This research effort
explores the difference in black and white perceptions concerning racial inequality
in the contemporary American workplace. Age, educational attainment, personal
income, political views, gender, and work status were used to delineate
interactive effects on inequality perceptions. Conflict Theory was used for
framing the social inequality process. Historically, conflict theorists have
viewed relationships between groups as being characterized by competition or
conflict resulting in social inequality. The data used to examine perceptions
of racial inequality were obtained from the 2016 General Social Survey. This research effort found
that blacks and whites demonstrated very different perceptions regarding
workplace racial inequality. Generally, blacks believed there are significant
barriers to equal treatment while whites felt that no remedies are necessary
for ensuring minority participation in the workplace. The findings showed black
and white respondents had very different perceptions for addressing workplace
inequality. Black individuals tended to view preferential hiring and promotion
as a way to successfully reduce racial inequality. Whites, on the other hand,
illustrated the opposite viewpoint by overwhelmingly not supporting
preferential treatment as an organizational tool for dealing with workplace
racial inequality.
Cite this paper
Lewis, R. (2017). Differences in Black and White Perceptions regarding Addressing Racial Inequality in the Workplace. Open Access Library Journal, 4, e4199. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104199.
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