Media ReleaseConducted By: Lambda Legal & Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP (April 2006) Click here to view/print the PDF file of the survey.
Executive Summary
For more than three decades, Lambda Legal has worked to eliminate employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Historically our work has focused on challenging discrimination through court action. In recent years, Lambda Legal has joined its hallmark litigation with public education strategies in a path-breaking campaign to “Blow the Whistle on Workplace Discrimination.” These efforts have been highly successful, leading to vast improvements in the workplace policies and practices of major employers like UPS, Foot Locker and Cirque du Soleil. These successes benefit Lambda Legal’s clients and LGBT employees across the country. They also benefit employers, since workplace fairness is good business.
As part of the “Blow the Whistle” campaign, in late 2005 Lambda Legal and Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP conducted a survey of LGBT employees in its scope. The 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey fills a major gap in existing knowledge. Recent survey data on the experiences of LGBT people in the workplace in the United States is scant; Lambda Legal’s 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey is the largest poll of LGBT people on workplace issues in the last decade[1]. The goals of the survey were to expand the data in order to: (1) profile the state of workplace fairness; (2) inform Lambda Legal’s work by learning what more needs to be done to eliminate discrimination; and (3) provide employers with information that will help them create a welcoming and hospitable environment for current and potential LGBT employees.
The key findings in the 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey illustrate the extent to which employment discrimination is still a reality for lesbians and gay men. (The survey sample did not yield results sufficient to provide enough data on the workplace experiences of transgender people and bisexuals.) At the same time, the results demonstrate that substantial progress is being made toward workplace fairness and equality. The results also show that lesbian and gay employees highly value employer policies and practices that promote fairness and equality. These results are a valuable resource for all employers who are interested in recruiting and retaining the most talented employees, without regard to sexual orientation.
While more than 80 percent of Americans believe that sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace is wrong[2], the 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey reveals that a large number of lesbian and gay employees still face discrimination. Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents reported experiencing some form of discrimination or harassment in the workplace because of their sexual orientation during the past five years. Nineteen percent of respondents reported a “glass ceiling” — i.e., that they faced barriers in promotion because of their sexual orientation. These problems appear to be notably worse for those who have lower incomes and those who live in certain parts of the country that are generally thought of as more conservative.
In spite of the fact that discrimination remains a serious problem, 74 percent of survey respondents report being out at work[3]. There appears to be a positive correlation between income levels and being out — respondents at higher income levels are more likely to report being out at work than respondents at lower incomes. Once again, those who live in parts of the country generally thought to be more conservative were less likely to be out about their sexual orientation in the workplace.
The results of the 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey suggest that workplace conditions for lesbians and gay men are improving. Sixty-three percent of survey respondents reported that their employers actively promote workplace equality and fairness through their policies and practices. The survey data suggests that employer policies and practices have a significant impact on employee behavior — lesbian and gay employees who work for employers that promote workplace fairness are much more likely to be out at work.
The survey results also indicate that employer policies and practices have a heavy influence on employee satisfaction. Fifty-four percent of survey respondents said that when they decide where to work, whether an employer promotes fairness and equality through its policies and practices is a “critical” factor. An additional 38 percent of respondents reported that such policies were appreciated and contributed to their happiness.
While the results of the 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey offer important data for advocates (such as Lambda Legal), policymakers and employers, there are limitations to the data. For example, the Lambda Legal online community did not in this instance yield a statistically significant survey sample for LGBT people of color who face particularized forms of discrimination. It also did not contain a statistically significant sample for transgender employees. Additionally, the survey sample contains twice as many male respondents as female; thus the survey may not accurately reflect the full extent of discrimination that lesbians face in the workplace. Lambda Legal hopes to support subsequent research efforts to address the limitations of the data reported here.
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