Affirmative Action and the “Level Playing Field”: Comparing Perceptions of Own and Minority Job Advancement Opportunities

Abstract

Little research has been done on the effectiveness of affirmative action programs in establishing perceptions of a “level playing field” for historically disadvantaged groups. Especially lacking is research on the perceptions of people working for specific affirmative action employers. This research uses both outcome and attitudinal data of correctional officers employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, an affirmative action employer. Black and White correctional officers provide evaluations of their own opportunities for job advancement that are generally consistent with objective, aggregate data. Black and White officers, however, exhibit wide disagreement when surveyed about opportunities available for minorities. This research examines the processes by which the discrepancies between Black and White evaluations of minority opportunities arise. In particular, the authors examine the ability of two competing hypotheses to explain the disagreement between Blacks and Whites. The first hypothesis, the denial of minority opportunity hypothesis, holds that minorities underestimate minority opportunities relative to their own opportunities. The second hypothesis, the denial of majority opportunity hypothesis, maintains that nonminorities overestimate minority opportunities. Results suggest that White correctional officers tend to overestimate minority opportunities.