3/4 of LGBTQ+ Women Still Fear Coming Out at Work, Reveals New myGwork Research

In honor of Lesbian Visibility Week, myGwork conducted research on the experiences of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people in the workplace and wider society. According to the results of our newest study, an overwhelming three-quarters of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary professionals are reluctant to fully come out.

The research shows that high rates of discrimination are the main factor in preventing many from this group from feeling able to come out at work and in society at large. The study, which highlights the experiences of over 2,000 LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people from around the world, confirms that 7 out of 10 continue to experience discrimination at work. This figure is further increased for people of color, those from more marginalized communities, and ethnic minority groups. For example, gender nonconforming and queer people experienced the highest rate of discrimination at work, followed by cisgender women (76%), gender fluid people (75%), intersex people (68%), trans women (66%) and non-binary people (65%).

The results of the study also found that many LGBTQ+ women and non-binary professionals believe that their sexual orientation and/or gender identity hinders career progression and has a significant influence on whether they are offered training and development opportunities to get ahead. In fact, 79% of our study participants across all age groups say that it’s tougher for LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people to shatter the glass ceiling than heterosexual cisgender women. Again, the figure is much higher for those with intersectional experiences who belong to other marginalized communities. Those with Latinx (86%), South Asian (85%) and Middle Eastern (85%) backgrounds found it the most difficult, followed by East Asian (83%) and Black/African communities (81%), compared to their White colleagues (76%).  This is despite reported high rates of allyship from both men and cisgender straight women, as well as more visible LGBTQ+ role models at work.

The research also indicates that very few LGBTQ+ women and non-binary professionals occupy top C-suite leadership roles. Just 9% hold leadership roles, and only 3% are CEOs/founders. Linda Riley, Founder of Lesbian Visibility Week and Publisher of Diva Magazine, commented on the data revealed by the survey, praising myGwork for providing “incredibly valuable” results.

“It highlights the reality of being an LGBTQ+ woman or non-binary person in the workplace,” she stated. “It shows that while progress has been made, there is still a long way to go before everyone in our community can feel safe to be their authentic selves at work. It is so important to have this kind of study focusing on our specific, and all too often overlooked, experiences.”

Other results of the myGwork study looked into workplace value, allyship, job satisfaction levels, and views on whether salaries are transparent and equitable. Furthermore, the study revealed whether modern