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Sexual Orientation and Earnings. A Meta-Analysis 2012-2020

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  • Drydakis, Nick

Abstract

This meta-analysis utilizes 24 papers published between 2012-2020 that focus on earnings differences by sexual orientation. The papers cover the period between 1991 and 2018, and countries in Europe, North America and Australia. The meta-analysis indicates that gay men earned less than heterosexual men. Lesbian women earned more than heterosexual women, while bisexual men earned less than heterosexual men. Bisexual women earned less than heterosexual women. According to the meta-analysis, in data sets after 2010, gay men and bisexual men and women continue to experience earnings penalties, while lesbian women continue to experience earnings premiums. Τhe meta-regression estimates indicate relationships between study characteristics and the estimated earnings effects for sexual minorities. For instance, regions, sexual minority data set sizes, and earnings classifications influence the outcomes. The persistence of earnings penalties for gay men and bisexual men and women in the face of anti-discrimination policies represents a cause for concern and indicates the need for comprehensive legislation and workplace guidelines to guarantee that people receive fair pay and not experience any form of workplace inequality simply because of their sexual orientation.

Suggested Citation

  • Drydakis, Nick, 2021. "Sexual Orientation and Earnings. A Meta-Analysis 2012-2020," GLO Discussion Paper Series 862, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:862
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nick Drydakis, 2022. "Sexual orientation discrimination in the labor market against gay men," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 1027-1058, September.
    2. Lisa de Vries, 2024. "Job Attribute Preferences of Sexual Minority People: The Role of Past Discrimination and Safe Havens," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, February.
    3. Olga Alonso-Villar & Coral del Río, 2024. "Where Do Families Headed by Same-Sex Couples Fall Within the U.S. Income Distribution?," Working Papers 2401, Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Economía Aplicada.
    4. Lisa de Vries & Stephanie Steinmetz, 2024. "Sexual Orientation, Workplace Authority and Occupational Segregation: Evidence from Germany," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(3), pages 852-870, June.
    5. Lippens, Louis & Vermeiren, Siel & Baert, Stijn, 2023. "The state of hiring discrimination: A meta-analysis of (almost) all recent correspondence experiments," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    6. Samuel Mann & Nigel O’Leary & David Blackaby, 2022. "Sexual orientation, political trust, and same-sex relationship recognition policies: evidence from Europe," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 192(3), pages 331-355, September.
    7. Simon Rabaté & Sara Rellstab, 2022. "What Determines the Child Penalty in the Netherlands? The Role of Policy and Norms," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 195-229, May.
    8. Webb, Duncan, 2024. "Silence to Solidarity: Using Group Dynamics to Reduce Anti-Transgender Discrimination in India," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 2402, CEPREMAP.
    9. Cameron Deal & Shea Greenberg & Gilbert Gonzales, 2024. "Sexual identity, poverty, and utilization of government services," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-31, June.
    10. Mourelatos, Evangelos, 2023. "Does Mood affect Sexual and Gender Discrimination in Hiring Choices? Evidence from Online Experiments," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    11. Francesco Berlingieri & Matija Kovacic, 2023. "Health and relationship quality of the LGBTQIA+ population in Europe," Working Papers 2023: 29, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    12. Drydakis, Nick, 2022. "M-Health Apps and Physical and Mental Health Outcomes of Sexual Minorities," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1121, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. Taryn Eames, 2024. "Taryn versus Taryn (she/her) versus Taryn (they/them): A Field Experiment on Pronoun Disclosure and Hiring Discrimination," Working Papers tecipa-766, University of Toronto, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sexual Orientation; Discrimination; Earnings;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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