Anticipation of Racism and Sexism: Factors Related to Setting Career Goals for Urban Youth of Color

This study examined the effects of anticipated racial and gender discrimination on variables related to the development of career goals. For a sample of 195 urban youth of color we used path analysis to test a career decision self-efficacy and goal-setting model informed by the social cognitive career theory self-management model of career exploration and decision-making behavior (Lent & Brown, 2013). Specifically, we examined how students' anticipation of racial and gender discrimination in the workplace were related to the process variables of career decision self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and how self-efficacy and outcome expectations were related to setting clear, viable goals. The results indicate different pathways for boys and girls. For boys, an anticipated hostile racial employment climate was negatively related to career decision self-efficacy, with career decision self-efficacy and vocational outcome expectations positively related to goals. For girls, an anticipated hostile racial employment climate was negatively related to vocational outcome expectations, with vocational outcome expectations positively related to career goals. Analyses showed that for boys, career decision-making self-efficacy fully mediated the effects of racial discrimination on vocational outcome expectations, and vocational outcome expectations partially mediated the effects of career decisionmaking efficacy on goals. While career decision making was related to vocational outcome expectations, there were no indirect effects for girls. For this sample, anticipated employment-related gender discrimination was not significantly related to career decision self-efficacy or outcome expectations among either boys or girls. Implications for training, practice, and research are discussed.