The Gender Bias: How LGBTQ Men & Women Are Treated Differently
Gender Bias: It Impacts the LGBTQ Community Too!
As a community, we are well aware of the host of biases that affect us each and every day. Life can be challenging, sometimes even the simplest tasks become more difficult because of the perceptions and actions of others. Over time, we have worked hard, together, to overcome that which limits our opportunity and have made great strides. While there are certain aspects of who we are that are unique to the LGBTQ community, bias exists on an even larger scale that impacts us as well.
Gender Bias is Prevalent Today
Gender bias definition. We have all heard the term before and as a country, we are all aware of its history. What is incredibly surprising is how prevalent it is today and how it affects us all, even members of the LGBTQ community. Consider these examples:
Business: We have heard it time and time again, women simply don’t make as much as men. But, sometimes the percentage differences are hard to conceptualize. In 2021, Business.org shared one of the clearest ways to understand the depth of this issue. It’s called the stop-pay methodology. “Stop-pay dates are based on the day of the year women start working for free based on the gender pay gap in that state. These dates are based on a working calendar that omits weekends. This calendar does not take holidays into account.” Two of the most interesting findings of this study are that there is no state in the country where women have a higher average salary than men, and, on average, October 29th is the date that women “stop getting paid”; the national pay gap is 18%.
Gender bias income specifically affects the LGBTQ community. According to MSNBC, “Gender-based income inequality is particularly pronounced among LGBT couples. Census data shows that the average household income for female same-sex couples was nearly $100,000 versus $130,000 for the average same-sex male couple.”
Media: Today we see more women on tv news and film than ever. However, many women still don’t believe they are portrayed accurately in tv, film, and advertising. Quite often issues with which women deal, like weight, age, and pregnancy are not portrayed accurately. While things are better today than in the past, the media has significant opportunities for improvement.
Politics: While we have our first female Vice President, gender bias in politics is still seen throughout the country. Some people refused to vote for a specific ticket because a woman was running on it. Women candidates face significantly more comments about their appearance, clothing, weight, and “temperament” than their male counterparts. Sexism and gender bias in politics is visible and affects opportunity for all.
As members of the LGBTQ community, we are intimately familiar with bias and how it affects opportunity and life in general. We continue to support equality for women and equality for all, including those who identify as LGBTQ.