Women in the workplace: according to the author, parks and recreation is not immune to challenges for women employees.

Do women still experience unequal pay for equal work? Is gender discrimination or sexual harassment an issue in the workplace? Do unnatural barriers, based on attitudinal or organizational bias, still exist in prohibiting women (and minorities) from advancing within their agency and reaching their full potential? Does the notion of a "double-standard" create a disadvantage for women among their peers and constituents with whom they might work?

Many people would agree that gender (and racial/cultural) discrimination is inappropriate and illegal and has no place in the public field of recreation, parks and leisure services. However, if you are female and also a racial or ethnic minority, then you may know the sting of having bumped your head against a glass ceiling; of being questioned if family responsibilities might limit or interfere with your ability to carry out your job; to possibly be questioned on your motives and competency while carrying out assignments.

You may even know what it is like to be treated differently than your male counterparts, or have been denied job opportunities because of a double-standard.

Everyday there is a woman out there serving in this exhilarating and gratifying profession who is forging her way through choppy, dangerous and slow-moving waters of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, the double-standard, and that impenetrable glass ceiling.

This article explores these biases by providing two examples of their occurrences. Additionally, tools are offered that may help women to stay afloat above the waters of workplace adversity so they can swim to their desired destinations and achieve their goals while making solid, mutually respected, amicable friendships with male colleagues along the way. Helping women to succeed in the workplace is the goal. Keeping men as allies as well as educating and involving them in gender-related issues in the workplace, are of equal importance to this topic. Are experiences based on perception or reality? You decide.

What do we know?

Within the past 20 years, scholars have conducted research and provided feminist perspectives on women's leisure and recreation patterns. This work has explored such aspects as historical influences, the meaning of leisure in women's lives in contemporary society, constraints to participation, life-stage developments, psycho-social issues, balancing family and work concerns and the value of feminist theories. Few studies, however, exist regarding women's professional experiences and workplace issues and achievements specifically in the field of parks, recreation and leisure studies.

Examples

Gender discrimination

According to numerous researchers, professional women with children are continually faced with the challenge of attempting to fulfill all external expectations placed on them while occasionally attempting to accept new roles that may enrich their personal satisfaction with their lives. What would you do if you were expecting a baby and were questioned as to whether you could really do the job? Several years ago, this happened to a colleague.

While pursuing her doctoral degree, she found the job of her dreams: assistant professor in parks and recreation. She thoroughly enjoyed her college years and longed to return as a faculty in the future. Although this was an opportunity of a lifetime, in her mind the timing could not have been worse. She was seven months pregnant with her second child.

After consulting with friends, family and colleagues, she decided to submit her application and hope for the best. She submitted her application and was called for an interview. She felt it was only fair to brief the department chair on her current condition and he insisted that would have no bearing on the decision. The long day of interviewing was going well and she became increasingly more confident about her chances.

Towards the end of the day, she met with one male employee of the university, and asked only one question that was, "How do you expect to be a quality educator, a good mother and finish your Ph.D.?" This was also stated as he pointed to her enlarged mid-section.

Shocked and amazed at the question, she simply responded, "I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't think I could do it all and do it well. I am also fortunate to have a solid support system."

At the end of the day, she again met with the department chair. He was a kind, gentle person who she felt increasingly more comfortable with throughout the day. He announced his confidence that she would be selected for the position and even went as far to discuss the fall schedule. She was told that she would need to send him specific information on how she planned to complete her Ph.D.

He escorted her to her car and asked if he could give her a hug and commented again on how he looked forward to working with her in the upcoming school year and that he would be in touch soon.

The following week, this colleague had her educational plan to complete her degree faxed from her advisor to the department chair. She had also left all her contact numbers.

Two weeks had passed and she arrived home one evening to hear the following message on her home voicemail: "This is Dr..... and I wanted to call and let you know that unfortunately we have decided to hire another candidate for the position but we wish you the best of luck with completing your degree and with your new baby."

Disappointed and angered, she was unable to let this matter drop. She phoned the department chair the following morning to ask a few questions. "Why did you choose to call my home when you had my other contact numbers? Why did you make me believe that I had the job? Why don't you train your staff on acceptable interviewing practices?" His only comment to her was "I've been very ill and I'm sorry things didn't work out." Despite urging from friends and colleagues to pursue this issue further, she reluctantly dropped the situation.

Consequently, several months later, she ran into an acquaintance who worked at that same institution where she had recently interviewed. He shared his disappointment she did not get the position. When she asked him to elaborate, he confirmed her suspicions stating, "the committee decided it was too risky to hire a woman whose due date for a baby was one month prior to the start of the semester." He further alluded to the fact her credentials were solid yet had nothing to do with their decision.

She is a strong believer that all things work out for a reason. Approximately one year after that interview, she accepted a unique position with her current employer (a different university). After driving 340 miles round trip to attend classes once a week, spending a summer semester in residence and working on her study for more than a year, she recently completed her doctorate and has become a tenured faculty. The "Double-Standard" In a study conducted of women in recreation in Illinois several years ago, dismissing the intermittent "double-standard" among peers and constituents was the most commonly cited disadvantage that women have over their male counter-parts. That is, while women clearly possess many strengths, they may still be considered "aggressive" in their demeanor while males are referred to as "enthusiastic or goal-oriented." Notions of a double-standard toward women in the workplace still exist today.

Years ago, when another colleague worked as a recreation planner for a large, regional recreation agency, she experienced a very blatant double-standard. She was the only female in the unit where she was employed. She was also the only African-American in that unit.

She asked to attend a 5-day management training course that was held aboard the Queen Mary in the Long Beach Harbor of California. She observed that her male co-workers who attended the training boasted of having a swell vacation at the expense of the agency as the reason for their participation in the course. For her, however, this was an opportunity to receive valuable leadership training.

However she was denied approval and was told by her immediate supervisor, that there were men ahead of her who had not yet attended the course so why should management send her, a relatively new employee? The reality was that many of the men "ahead of her" had no interest in attending the course so they had not asked to attend. Yet for her, the implication was that she would have to wait her turn. That is, until all of the men not just in the unit, but in the entire division, had asked to attend the training before she could be considered.

She decided to take her request to the next level which happened to be the manager who had hired her. After presenting her request, this manager's first words to her were "What makes you think you're management

material?" With that attitude and his remarks, her appeal request was denied. About a week later, my colleague was called back into her manager's office only to be congratulated on being chosen to participate in a two-year management training program.

Out of more than 33,000 employees, she had been identified by an impartial team of executive managers as having potential for being a future manager. She was chosen to be a part of a group of just 50 employees to receive this special honor. As a result, her life was changed forever. If she had waited until it was her turn, she might still be waiting.

Capitalize on Strenths

Research shows that women in recreation and leisure studies have varying strengths and advantages. They must not allow frustration or disappointment to slow down growth in the workplace, rather it should give more incentive for moving forward and upward. Perhaps the societal expectations placed on women through the years to balance work, family and play has forced women to evolve as organized project managers, expert relationship builders and proficient networkers.

An informal exploration of these issues was conducted in 2005 by Hooper. She asked "seasoned" women professionals at the executive management level to share with others their professional challenges and successes, and to answer a series of questions. Regarding challenges, they were asked: 1) what challenges have you overcome? 2) What would you tell other women about facing challenges so they might avoid pitfalls, hindrances or delays to their success and career advancement?

And, concerning successes, she asked three key questions: 1) what brought about the success you are now enjoying (or that you experienced on a particular project)? 2) What life lessons or wisdom did you glean from the successful experiences you've had? and, 3) What is your "recipe" for success? What follows is a menu of tips and techniques offered by these experienced and knowledgeable women professionals.

[check] Believe in yourself! If you can do this, and trust your instincts, you will land on your feet no matter what the outcome.

[check] Believe in the product or service you are providing.

[check] Observe how powerful people that you admire do business and model those traits that you think could work for your personality.

[check] Don't settle for "no" without doing further investigation to see if a "yes" is on the horizon. Delay is not the same as denial.

[check] Accept help from others and allow others be a part of your dream.

[check] Put others ahead of yourself and do not worry about who gets the credit. When credit or praise is given to you, give it to others. When there is blame, take it yourself and learn from it.

[check] Network with others and do not focus upon gender but rather on relationships that will help you to do your job better. You never know where your help will come from.

[check] Welcome mentors into your life, both female and male, and do not hesitate to ask for advice.

[check] Walk a fine line with the women you work with--especially the higher up you climb in an organization. Be friendly but do not share too much personal information or your professional woes with the women (or men) you work with. Other women can be your greatest resource and support or your biggest pain.

[check] In dealing with others, find out if they have positional power or personal power, or both. Establish a strategy for dealing with those persons according to the kind of power they hold.

[check] Be open to learning new skills and embracing new experiences. Do not be afraid to try new things. If you fail, you learn. If you succeed, you learn. Both experiences will take you far.

[check] Keep your dreams before you: write them down, look at them, and establish goals that will help you to achieve your dreams.

[check] Reach down and help another succeed. After all, you didn't get to where you are by yourself. Be a mentor, a (role) model and a motivator of others.