Nearly half of LGBTQ Americans believe their employer discriminates against people of their sexual orientation, according to a new survey published by IBM”™s Institute for Business Value.
The survey, which polled more than 6,000 U.S.-based professionals, found nearly half of White LGBTQ respondents saying they have experienced some workplace discrimination based on their sexual orientation, although only 4% said they were discriminated against to a very great extent. For LGBTQ people of color, the figure was closer to 20%
The survey also found LGBTQ Americans were underrepresented on executive teams, with only 7% of senior executives surveyed identifying as being part of that demographic.
Furthermore, more than two in three LGBTQ respondents reported they did not feel equipped to overcome professional challenges, and nearly two in three respondents said they have had to work harder to succeed because of aspects of their identity.
In addition, 43% of LGBTQ respondents said they struggled balancing working from home with taking care of other family members during the Covid-19 pandemic, compared with 34% of non-LGBTQ respondents.
Respondents’ experiences of discrimination based on sexual orientation also crossed into racial and gender concerns. The study found 74% of Black lesbian, gay and bisexual women surveyed believe their identity group is less successful than the general population. By contrast, among White men surveyed who did not identify as gay or bisexual, that figure was only 4%.
