Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people across the globe experience discrimination which leads to severe inequalities across life domains and especially in the labor market. In a German study about 30 percent of the LGB respondents report having experienced discrimination in their work life over the past two years. In addition, various studies show that gay and bisexual men earn less than heterosexual men and that occupational segregation and hiring decisions based on sexual orientation lead to inequalities in the labor market.
The gender pay gap and the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions and workplace authority are highly discussed and well-researched topics that received more and more attention in the last decades. In this context, results have shown that workplace authority – defined as control over the work process of others – is associated with higher earnings, status and psychological rewards (e.g., messages of worth and esteem). Recent research suggests that unequal access to workplace authority can shape further inequality. However, there is so far little empirical evidence about the connection between sexual orientation and workplace authority.
In our recent article in Work, Employment and Society we examine the connection between sexual orientation, workplace authority and occupational segregation in Germany to encounter this research gap.
Stereotypes against leadership and LGB people
Think, for a moment, about the characteristics that make an “ideal” leader. What comes to mind?
People hold everyday assumptions about leadership, many of which can be linked to gender. For instance, leaders are generally seen as more masculine than feminine and more similar to men than to women. These assumptions lead to prejudices towards women in leadership positions. It should come as no surprise, then, that scholars find gender influences both leadership opportunities and experiences in the workplace.
How assumptions about leadership influence the experiences of LGB people has received relatively less attention. Studies relying on the implicit inversion theory framework argue that stereotypes of LGB people lead individuals to assume that gay and bisexual men are more similar to women than to heterosexual men, and that lesbian and bisexual women are more similar to men than to heterosexual women.
Following these ideas, it is assumed that individuals believe that gay and bisexual men have a worse fit for leadership positions and lesbian and bisexual women have a better fit for leadership positions. More specifically, we hypothesize that gay and bisexual men have a lower probability of having workplace authority and lesbian and bisexual women have a higher probability of having workplace authority.
Sexual orientation, gender and workplace authority
To test these ideas, we use data from a German household survey (Socio-Economic Panel) from 2013 to 2019, which includes individuals who are heterosexual, gay, lesbian or bisexual. There are relatively few datasets in Germany that allow to identifying LGB people but the Socio-Economic Panel offers information about partnership status and in some years also a direct question about sexual orientation. This allows us to identify 739 LGB observations from 2013 to 2019.
We differentiate between workplace authority (having other employees under your direction), and high-level workplace authority (having ten or more employees under your direction). On average, LGB people may differ in their job and socio-demographic characteristics from heterosexual people, for instance having fewer children and more education. To account for this, we include additional variables (e.g., job characteristics and socio-demographic characteristics) in our analyses.
Our findings show that gay and bisexual men are not underrepresented in workplace authority but they have a lower probability for high-level workplace authority compared to heterosexual men. In numbers: gay and bisexual men have an 11 percentage points lower probability for high-level workplace authority compared to heterosexual men. In addition, we see that lesbian and bisexual women are overrepresented in workplace authority compared to heterosexual women. The probability for workplace authority is 6 percentage points higher for lesbian and bisexual women compared to heterosexual women. However, there are no differences in high-level workplace authority by sexual orientation for women.
Does occupational segregation matter?
Many occupations in the German labor market are male-dominated (e.g., mechanical engineers, firefighters) or female-dominated (e.g., health care assistants or primary school teachers). This occupational gender segregation means that people in occupations that are atypical for their gender may face the stereotype that they don’t ‘fit’ in their job.
How might occupational segregation matter for the workplace authority of LGB people? Recent research suggests that LGB people avoid occupations with a high share of employees of their own gender. Based on implicit inversion theory we assume that lesbian women are perceived to fit male-typical jobs better than heterosexual women, and that gay men are perceived to fit female-typical jobs better than heterosexual men.
Our findings offer some evidence that lesbian and bisexual women have a higher advantage for workplace authority in female-dominated occupations compared to heterosexual women. Gay and bisexual men experience nearly the same level of disadvantages of high-level workplace authority in male-dominated, female-dominated and mixed occupations.
Discussion
Our study builds on previous work that found differences in leadership positions and workplace authority by sexual orientation and gender. We show that gay and bisexual men are disadvantaged in high-level workplace authority, whereas lesbian and bisexual women have in general an advantage in workplace authority compared to heterosexual women. The role of occupational sorting is less important than expected, but lesbian and bisexual women have a higher advantage for workplace authority in female-dominated occupations. Previous research found such an advantage in female-dominated occupations also for heterosexual men.
Workplace authority is associated with higher earnings, status and psychological rewards. Unequal access to workplace authority can shape further inequalities (e.g., in earnings or status) and affect the career trajectory of LGB people. Our study shows how important it is to include sexual orientation when examining access to positions of workplace authority. To improve the labor market situation of LGB people employers should implement measures to avoid discrimination and offer an LGB(TQI+)-friendly work environment.
Read more
Lisa de Vries & Stephanie Steinmetz “Sexual Orientation, Workplace Authority and Occupational Segregation: Evidence from Germany” in Work, Employment and Society 2023.
Image: WOKANDAPIX via Pixybay
1 Comment
very insightful. In the developed world, there is a social space for these people, but in the underdeveloped world, the situations are very different. I still remember that when I was in my master’s studies, I was highly interested in exploring this area. This area of research has not been explored yet, and I am still very interested in it.
In my master’s studies, I went to my supervisor. In the first meeting, I discussed my interest in this area. My supervisor became very weird and replied, “Why this area? I’m not willing to supervise you.” He explained to me what my colleague will be thinking and how you can represent them in front of the committee. However, I convinced them that let’s work on transgender people, and he showed his willingness.
After the compilation of research projects, I got a tag, a transgender ambassador, etc. from my experience. I got the idea that these people need to be represented and explored through a research lens, and academia has to perform its role, explain these to the rest of society, and create a social space for these people where they can live in a modest way.
again, this is very insightful and such kind of work should be highly appreciated.