Acculturation, Enculturation, Gender, and College Environment on Perceived Career Barriers Among Latino/a College Students

Abstract

This study examined the role culture and college environment had on the perception of ethnic and gender career barriers of 138 Latino/a college students. Specifically, background characteristics (i.e., parent education, immigration status, and sex), acculturation, enculturation, and college environment on perceived ethnic/gender barriers were examined. Results showed 18% of the variance in perceived ethnic and gender career barriers were predicted by sex, acculturation, and college environment. As expected, sex, acculturation, and college environment negatively predicted perceived ethnic and gender career barriers. Latinas anticipated discrimination in future worksites more than Latino males. Acculturation and a welcoming college environment that supported diverse students predicted lower perceived ethnic and gender career barriers. Enculturation did not significantly predict perceived career barriers. Supporting the hypothesis, an interaction effect between sex and college environment predicted perceived career barriers. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.