Thursday, May 27, 2010
Trans (Un)Employment—a primer (part 1)
By André Pérez
http://genderqueerchicago.blogspot.com/2010/05/trans-unemploymenta-primer-part-1.html (http://genderqueerchicago.blogspot.com/2010/05/trans-unemploymenta-primer-part-1.html)
What are the stats?
Some readers may be thinking, "We all know people that are unemployed because of the economy. Why are trans people any different?" The overall unemployment rate has become a prevalent issue recently as it has climbed to %10. While statistics specifically addressing transgender employment are not available on a federal scale, there have been some local efforts to track this number, and experts agree that the unemployment rate among transgender and gender variant people is several times higher than the national average. A study in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted in 2006 of 194 transgender individuals found a 35% unemployment rate, with 59% earning less than $15,300 annually. Well before the recession began, in one of the most queer-friendly places on the country, the level of unemployment was more than seven times the amount of the general population (% 4.6). If you believe that discrimination plays a role in creating this inequality, then it is also reasonable to believe that the rate of unemployment in the trans community has more than doubled because increasing competition for jobs means employers have more discretion in whom they do and do not hire.
Interesting.
I sent the author of this blog a posting outlining my thoughts. Perhaps he could utilize a poll on Susan's to help with his research?
I commented that it would be nice to see a breakdown of transgendered unemployment statistics by levels of education.
I think the it would be also interesting to determine their employment status, and determine if they transitioned on the job, or if they accepted a new job and gained it post transition.
The most successful men and women seem to transition on the job with a Fortune 100 employer, or one that is in the high tech or legal industries.
The more blue collar the work (and perhaps education level of the managers), the lower the chances of a successful transition on the job.