Research

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues (Quick Take)

Jun 01, 2021

POPULATION

It Is Difficult to Determine the Size of the LGBT Population

Stigma and methodological barriers make it difficult to get an accurate count of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) population.1 The following statistics are the best estimates from surveys around the world.

  • Canada – 3% 2
  • Japan – 10%3
  • United Kingdom – 2.2%4
  • United States – 4.5%5
Governments Often Measure Only Same-Sex Couples

Because it can be very difficult to measure the LGBT population, some surveys measure the number of people in same-sex relationships.6 The following percentages are the best estimates of same-sex couples around the world.

  • Australia – 0.9%7
  • Canada – 0.9%8
  • Germany – 0.5%9
  • United States – 1.5%10

WORKPLACE

Most Countries Do Not Provide Legal Protections for LGBTQ Employees

Eighty-one countries prohibit discrimination in employment because of sexual orientation, including:11

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • France
  • Germany
  • Mexico
  • The Netherlands
  • Switzerland
  • The United Kingdom
  • The United States

In September 2018, India’s Supreme Court struck down section 377 of India’s penal code, a colonial-era law that penalized consensual same-sex relations.12

Today, More Fortune 500 Companies Offer Benefits to Their LGBTQ Employees

Fortune 500 LGBT inclusion policies:13

  • 96% have non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation.
  • 94% have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity.
  • 57% include domestic partner benefits.
  • 71% include transgender-inclusive benefits.
Many LGBTQ People Work in Industries Highly Impacted by Covid-19

Estimates indicate that more than five million LGBTQ employees may be affected by the pandemic.14

  • About 40% of the industries in which LGBTQ employees hold jobs are those where employees face more exposure to infection and/or economic insecurity.15
    • 2 million LGBTQ workers are in restaurants and food services.16
    • 1 million work in hospitals.17
  • 30% had reduced work hours.18
  • 12% became unemployed.19
LGBTQ Employees Often Face Hostility in the Workplace

One-fifth (20%) of LGBTQ Americans have experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for jobs,20 but experiences vary by race and ethnicity:

  • LGBTQ who are people of color – 32%21
  • LGBTQ people who are White – 13%22

Pay can also be affected:

  • 22% of LGBTQ Americans have not been paid equally or promoted at the same rate as their peers.23

LGBTQ people are often subjected to biased jokes:24

  • 53% have heard lesbian or gay jokes.
  • 37% have heard bisexual jokes.
  • 41% have heard transgender jokes.

Transgender workers are subject to different types of harassment than LGBT workers. This includes bathroom accessibility, being deliberately referred to by incorrect pronouns, and having to tolerate inappropriate questions, which can lead to employee disengagement and avoidance.25

Fear Prevents LGBT Employees From Bringing Their Full Selves to Work

Almost half (46%) of LGBTQ workers in the United States are closeted in the workplace.26

Nearly two thirds (59%) of non-LGBTQ employees believe it is “unprofessional” to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.27

Employees report feeling exhausted from spending time and energy concealing their authentic selves:

  • 17% are exhausted from hiding their sexual orientation.28
  • 13% are exhausted from hiding their gender identity.29
    • Concealment is not an option for transgender employees who wish to begin transitioning, unless they leave their current employers.30

Many workers in the UK hide their identity in fear of discrimination.31

  • 35% of LGBT employees
  • 51% of transgender employees
Inclusive Work Cultures Determine Whether LGBTQ Employees Leave or Stay32

A quarter (25%) of LGBTQ employees report staying in a job due to a LGBT-inclusive work environment.33

  • 10% of LGBTQ employees have left a job because the work environment did not accept LGBTQ people.34

Leadership

Openly LGBT Corporate Leaders Are Rare

Fewer than 0.3% of Fortune 500 board directors were openly LGBT in 2020.35

In 2018, Beth Ford became the CEO of Land O’Lakes and the first openly gay woman to run a Fortune 500 company.36

Tim Cook (Apple), Jim Fitterling (DOW), and Jeff Gennette (Macy’s) are also openly gay Fortune 500 CEOs.37

LEARN MORE

DEFINITION: LGBT is the acronym most commonly used in the United States to address the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The acronym can vary in a number of ways, including GLBT and GLB, and can include additional letters, such as Q (queer or questioning), I (intersex), or A (asexual). Some include a plus (+) after the acronym to denote additional communities.38 We use the LGBT acronym throughout this Quick Take, except in instances in which a source uses another variation.

How to cite this product: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workplace issues: Quick take. (2021). Catalyst.

  1. Waite, S. & Denier, N. (2019). A research note on Canada’s LGBT data landscape: Where we are and what the future holds. Canadian Review of Sociology, 56(1), 93-117.
  2. Same-sex couples in Canada in 2016. (2017, August 2). Statistics Canada.
  3. Poll shows 1 in 10 in Japan identify as LGBT or other sexual minorities. (2019, December 11). Japan Times.
  4. Sexual orientation, UK: 2018. (2020, March 6). Office of National Statistics.
  5. LGBT data & demographics. (2019). The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law.
  6. Waite, S. & Denier, N. (2019). A research note on Canada’s LGBT data landscape: Where we are and what the future holds. Canadian Review of Sociology, 56(1), 93-117.
  7. Same-sex couples in Australia, 2016. (2018). Australian Bureau of Statistics.
  8. Same-sex couples in Canada in 2016. (2017, August 2). Statistics Canada.
  9. Datenreport 2018 – Kapitel 2: Familie, Lebensformen und Kinder. (2018, November 14). Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt).
  10. US Census Bureau. (2020). Table 1. Household characteristics of opposite-sex and same-sex couple households. [Data set]. 2019 American Community Survey.
  11. Mendos, L. R., Botha, K., Lelis, R. C., López de la Peña, E., Savelev, I., & Tan, D. (2020). State-sponsored homophobia: Global legislation overview update. ILGA World.
  12. World report 2019: India, events of 2018. (2019). Human Rights Watch.
  13. Corporate equality index 2021. (2021). Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  14. Whittington, C., Hadfield, K., & Calderón, C. (2020). The lives & livelihoods of many in the LGBTQ community are at risk amidst COVID-19 crisis. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  15. Whittington, C., Hadfield, K., & Calderón, C. (2020). The lives & livelihoods of many in the LGBTQ community are at risk amidst COVID-19 crisis. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  16. Whittington, C., Hadfield, K., & Calderón, C. (2020). The lives & livelihoods of many in the LGBTQ community are at risk amidst COVID-19 crisis. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  17. Whittington, C., Hadfield, K., & Calderón, C. (2020). The lives & livelihoods of many in the LGBTQ community are at risk amidst COVID-19 crisis. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  18. The economic impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ Community. (2020). Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  19. The economic impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ Community. (2020). Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  20. Discrimination in America: Experiences and views of LGBTQ Americans. (2017). National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  21. Discrimination in America: Experiences and views of LGBTQ Americans. (2017). National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  22. Discrimination in America: Experiences and views of LGBTQ Americans. (2017). National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  23. Discrimination in America: Experiences and views of LGBTQ Americans. (2017). National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
  24. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  25. Rudin, J., Billing, T., Farro, A., & Yang, Y. (2020). Bigenderism at work? Organizational responses to trans men and trans women employees. Organization Management Journal, 17(2), 63-81.
  26. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  27. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  28. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  29. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  30. Rudin, J., Billing, T., Farro, A., & Yang, Y. (2020). Bigenderism at work? Organizational responses to trans men and trans women employees. Organization Management Journal, 17(2), 63-81.
  31. Bachman, C., Gooch, B. (2018). LGBT in Britain – work report. Stonewall.
  32. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Watch.
  33. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  34. Fidas, D., Cooper, L. (2019). A workplace divided: Understanding the climate for LGBTQ workers nationwide. Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
  35. Fair representation might lead to better outcomes in times of crisis. (2020, April 7). Out Leadership.
  36. Kowitt, B. (2018, July 27). The latest female CEO in the Fortune 500 breaks a barrier. Fortune.
  37. Aspan, M. (2020, June 16). Fortune 500 CEOs praise landmark LGBTQ antidiscrimination ruling. Fortune.
  38. LGBTQ+ Terms to Know. (2021). Catalyst.; LGBTQIA Resource Center Glossary. University of California, Davis.