The Effects of work-related perceptions on retention of Hispanics in the U.S. Marine Corps

Abstract

This thesis investigates whether perceptions of the working environment are related to a Marine Corps member's intentions to remain on active duty. The study further examines whether perceptions about intra-organizational mobility, inequity in the workplace, and organizational support vary by racial/ethnic group. The analysis focuses on Hispanics, the largest growing ethnic minority in the United States and draws upon data from the 2002 Status of the Armed Forces: Gender and Working Relations (WGR) Survey. Logistic regression models are developed for junior officers and enlisted personnel to determine the relationship between perceptions of the working environment in the Marine Corps and a Marine's intention to stay on active duty or complete a 20-year military career. The results of the quantitative analysis show that negative views about professional development, current assignment, and equity in the workplace are significant in both officer and enlisted models. Results also indicate that, among racial/ethnic groups, Hispanics are most strongly influenced by the effects of negative perceptions in the working environment on their plans to remain in the Marine Corps. It is recommended that further research look at the Hispanic military population by focusing on the various sub-groups within the ethnic category itself.