Gender identity, labor market outcomes, and socioeconomic status: Evidence from Chile

Abstract

This paper provides the first evidence of differential labor market and socioeconomic outcomes for non-cisgender individuals in Latin America using nationally representative data. Very little is known about gender diverse populations in the developing world. Recent population-based data from the 2017 Chilean National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey allows for the identification of over 1800 non-cisgender adults (i.e., individuals whose reported gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.) I examine labor market outcomes and socioeconomic status in the context of gender identity, while controlling for relevant individual- and household-level characteristics. I find that non-cisgender individuals who were assigned male at birth are less likely to be employed, and more likely to be living in a household that is multidimensionally poor when compared to otherwise similar cisgender men. Non-cisgender individuals who were assigned female at birth are less likely to be employed, work fewer labor hours, report lower labor incomes, and are more likely to work in the informal sector relative to otherwise similar cisgender men.