Workplace report shows discrimination against LGBTQ employees
Out & Equal Workplace Advocated and IBM have released their report on LGBTQ workplace discrimination.
It shows that despite legal progress and big efforts by employers, discrimination against the LGBTQ community in the workplace remains a reality.
Some of the key findings:
- Nearly half (45%) of lesbian, gay and bisexual people say their employer discriminates against people who share their sexual orientation, and more than 2 in 3 respondents say they don’t feel equipped to overcome professional challenges.
- The LGBTQ community continues to be underrepresented on executive teams in the US – only 7% of senior executives are LGB.
- Where race, gender, and sexual orientation intersect, the discrimination becomes more pronounced. For example, while almost half of white LGB respondents say they have experienced some discrimination based on their sexual orientation, only 4% say they were discriminated against to a very great extent. For LGB people of color, this figure is closer to 20%.
- An online poll of nearly 600 people conducted supporting the study found that 9% do not feel that the gender they express at work matches their true gender identity, indicating environments are not yet inclusive enough.
- The pandemic placed an outsized burden on the LGBTQ community: 43% of lesbian, gay and bisexual respondents say they have struggled balancing working from home with taking care of other family members, compared with 34% of non-LGB people.
The report – available here – matches these findings with a roadmap for progress by laying out tangible actions employers can take to better support their LGBTQ employees and create truly inclusive workplaces.
