A Look at Why Transgender People are Less Likely to Get Hired
- K. Keith
- Nov 17, 2020
- 2 min read
When many people think of job discrimination, they think of gender or sexuality. But what happens when your gender has changed?
Trans people are often snubbed for jobs and less likely to be in the work place because of their sexual orientation. On June 15, 2020, Bostock V. Clayton County declared a federal law that prohibited discrimination of transgender people. While there should not be a need for this law, that been that it is common sense not to discriminate based on gender, the court ruling did show a monumental change in the way people treated transgenders in the workplace.
In a recent study done by Indy100, they concluded that out of one thousand respondents, one in three "would be 'less likely' to hire a transgender candidate". The study went on to find that many companies do not have any protections in place for transgender employees, such as a no-bullying or harassment rule.
There has been no need for these rules because of the lack of applicants and visibility of this group in the job world. People of trans experience are one third as likely to get a job as cis-gendered people in today's work environment. To continue on that path past employment, 27% of those who did get a job were then fired.
So why are trans peopleso ignored in the job community? Why are they not as protected? Not much research has been done and the spotlight has not yet been put on the transgender community. Out of all of the LGBTQ+ groups, this is the least visible and one with the most struggles. Arguably, these are the people who have never felt a sense of belonging, even in their own bodies, and now in the workplace.
So how do we fix this? How do we see them? Start standing up for social justice in your work place. Ask your bosses about their policies and their reactions to LGBTQ+ employees. Look around. Is your office full of white cisgendered people? If so, why?
Look for diversity in everything and try to only be involved in diverse settings.
