LGBT+ People Paid 16 Percent Less Than Straight Counterparts, New Study Finds

A new study from LinkedIn has found alarming evidence of a “gay pay gap”. According to a YouGov poll of 4,000 people commissioned by LinkedIn, LGB+ people take home on average £8,364 less a year than their straight counterparts. That number increases to £12,565 when it comes to transgender employees.

That’s a pay gap of more than 16 percent between LGBT+ and straight people.

The study also found that 26 percent of LGB+ respondents aren't open about their sexuality at work, with 61 percent saying that they have felt uncomfortable at work at some point because of their sexuality. Of those that do not want to be open, 28 percent cited fear of judgement from colleagues as a key reason.

35 percent of LGB+ respondents reported experiencing homophobic comments, with 21 percent saying this escalated to verbal abuse directed at them. Interestingly, only 8 percent of straight respondents said they’d witnessed an LGB+ colleague discriminated against or treated differently, suggesting straight people may not be as aware of these incidents.

One in three LGB+ respondents felt there should be more done to support queer employees – only 13 percent of straight respondents agreed with this.

60 percent of LGBT+ respondents said this could be helped with more transparency around inclusion policies, while almost half (48 percent) wanted more inspirational leaders to tell their stories.

Transgender respondents were more vocal about more needing more to be done in the workplace to support LGBT+ employees – 44 percent said more needed to be done, as opposed to 30 percent of LGB+. 

LGB+ people take home on average £8,364 less a year than their straight counterparts. 

Trans employees were less comfortable with their identity in the workplace (20 percent compared to 11 percent of LGB+), they were also 17 percent more likely to experience inappropriate comments or offensive jokes about them at work than LGB+ respondents.

Respondents agreed that one of the key ways to combat homophobia and transphobia in the workplace was more visibility, especially by those in the community who hold senior positions. Currently 70 percent of LGBT+ professionals say they have no senior LGBT+ people at work to look up to – this is heightened in some industries likemanufacturing (82 per cent) and construction (80 per cent).

"The more we hear from LGBTQ employees, the more we begin to understand that the fight for equality is far from over,” said Lady Phyll of UK Black Pride, who’s organisation cooperated with LinkedIn on the study.

“We are disheartened to hear that despite the broad uptake in diversity and inclusion training and initiatives at the corporate level, there appears to be a lack of the necessary transformative change in the day-to-day cultures of corporate companies that would help LGBTQ employees feel comfortable at work.”

Lady Phyll was quick to point to a similar study by TUC which found these results were only exacerbated for queer black, Asian and minority ethnic people (BAME).

"We would also like to highlight that we know from personal, professional and anecdotal experience that LGBTQ people of colour will also be experiencing discrimination and racism at work,” she added.

“We also know from research conducted by TUC that LGBTQ people of colour also experience disproportionate rates of sexual harassment in the workplace. And Stonewall research released in 2018 revealed that LGBTQ people of colour experience racism and discrimination from within the LGBTQ community itself. 

"All told, recent findings from a number of surveys reveal that the type of wholesale change so many of us have been working towards for so long is not having the desired impact at the rate of change we've come to expect in the modern age. We would encourage organisations all over the world to take seriously these findings and to find ways of working with organisations like UK Black Pride all year round (and not just during pride month) to better incorporate meaningful and effective change in their organisations."

“We also know from research conducted by TUC that LGBTQ people of colour also experience disproportionate rates of sexual harassment in the workplace."

While this study has been directed at just the UK, other studies around the world have found similar results in the US and Australia.A 2010 study from Industrial Relations also suggested these results were compounded by gender, with gay women being affected by both the gay pay gap and the gender pay gap.

“My experience of coming out at work came much later than coming out to close friends and family,” said Joshua Graff, UK country manager at LinkedIn, of his experience of being gay in the workplace.

“Concealing such a huge part of your life from colleagues can be extremely stressful and takes up energy that could be spent excelling at your job. Pride is a fantastic celebration of how far LGBT+ rights have progressed, but the stories shared by LinkedIn members and the results of this research shows that we still have a long way to go.”

Studies like this one commissioned by LinkedIn are a great way to push forward the conversation and identify the unique problems faced by the LGBT+ community in the workplace, but identifying the problem is only the start. We need to continue to advocate for professional LGBT+ networks, for more visibility and mentoring from LGBT+ people in senior positions, and for our stories and struggles to be told more widely. This conversation is a vital one and it should not conclude with the end of Pride season.

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