LGBT Workplace Inequality in the Federal Workforce: Intersectional Processes, Organizational Contexts, and Turnover Considerations

Abstract

How do lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees fare in US workplaces? Beyond formal discrimination, do LGBT workers encounter biases that degrade the quality of their day-to-day workplace experiences? Using a representative sample of more than 300,000 employees in 28 “best case” organizations—federal agencies with LGBT-inclusive policies—the authors examine not only whether these informal workplace inequalities occur but also where and for whom they are most exaggerated. LGBT employees report worse workplace experiences than their colleagues across 16 measures of employee treatment, workplace fairness, and job satisfaction. These inequalities are amplified or tempered by organizational contexts and can even affect turnover intentions. They are also intersectional: LGBT women and people of color have consistently more negative experiences than do men and white LGBT workers. These results help map the landscape of LGBT workplace inequality and underscore the importance of considering intersectional and organizational contexts therein.