Abstract
This study examines the labour market experiences of transgender individuals in Dutch workplaces through seven in-depth interviews with transgender women and men. The pre-and post-transition experiences of transgender workers reveal that they are discriminated against for being transgender and for being women in the workplace. The former depends on the degree to which a transgender person is visibly transgender to others and the latter seems to be produced through gendered stereotypes embedded in organizational structures and workplace interactions that disadvantage women and advantage men. The trans women in this study report a devaluation in their skills, abilities, authority and respect when becoming women at work while most of the trans men report the reversed when becoming men at work, although their human capital and childhood socialization remain the same. It follows that human capital and gender socialization theories cannot explain why gender inequalities between women and men persist in the Dutch labour market.
Lessons for Practice
Keywords: Transgender identity, workplace inequalities, gender discrimination, labour market
Citation: Lorenz-Meyer, M. (2023). Drawing from the experiences of transgender individuals to study workplace gender inequalities in the Dutch labour market. Public Note, 10(2), 21-25.
This study examines the labour market experiences of transgender individuals in Dutch workplaces through seven in-depth interviews with transgender women and men. The pre-and post-transition experiences of transgender workers reveal that they are discriminated against for being transgender and for being women in the workplace. The former depends on the degree to which a transgender person is visibly transgender to others and the latter seems to be produced through gendered stereotypes embedded in organizational structures and workplace interactions that disadvantage women and advantage men. The trans women in this study report a devaluation in their skills, abilities, authority and respect when becoming women at work while most of the trans men report the reversed when becoming men at work, although their human capital and childhood socialization remain the same. It follows that human capital and gender socialization theories cannot explain why gender inequalities between women and men persist in the Dutch labour market.
Lessons for Practice
- Creating more gender identity awareness is needed for greater transgender acceptance.
- Workplaces particularly, should more actively engage in gender identity discussions and broaden their scope to an intersectional framework.
Keywords: Transgender identity, workplace inequalities, gender discrimination, labour market
Citation: Lorenz-Meyer, M. (2023). Drawing from the experiences of transgender individuals to study workplace gender inequalities in the Dutch labour market. Public Note, 10(2), 21-25.
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