John P Gaze, Reid Oetjen
The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which employees’ receptivity to diversity and diversity management varied by gender and ethnicity in the largest overseas hospital in the US Navy. A survey of 328 participants, of whom 68.3% weremale and 42.7% were white, showed no significant difference between female and male employees in their receptivity to diversity. Asian males reported significantly greater receptivity to diversity than whites. Asian females were not as receptive to diversity as the Asian males. When it came to endorsing diversity initiatives in the workplace, Hispanic and Asian Americans were significantly more receptive to these than their white counterparts. A similar though statistically insignificant pattern was seen for African Americans compared to Whites. The theoretical and practical implicationsof the results are discussed, limitations of the study are noted, along with suggestions for future research, and lastly, managerial implications are presented.
