PUBLIC NOTE
  • HOME
  • Published Editions
  • how to PUBLISH
  • About
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact
    • Joining Public Note

Drawing from the experiences of transgender individuals to study workplace gender inequalities in the Dutch labour market 
- Mara Lorenz-Meyer -

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 
  • 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.

URS_ Lorenz-Meyer, M. (2023).pdf
File Size: 298 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture

About the author

"My name is Mara Lorenz-Meyer and I completed my Bachelor in Economics and Business Economics at Utrecht University this year. I decided on this research topic because I am interested in topics where economics and social sciences intersect. I view the socioeconomic exclusion of minority groups as one of the most pressing issues in our contemporary society and therefore aim to understand and inform about the underlying processes which cause such discrimination to occur. As a cisgender woman, my personal goal is to educate myself and others about the daily experiences of  transgender people and draw attention to their situation. I am beyond grateful for the immense trust the seven participants of this study gave to me. Thank you for sharing your personal stories with me along this journey and for making the paper the way it is now! "


SUPPORTED BY:

Foto
Foto
  • HOME
  • Published Editions
  • how to PUBLISH
  • About
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact
    • Joining Public Note