How Being a Gay Man Impacts Your Leadership Roles
There’s a good chance that you’ve worked hard for years at your company and have experienced some success. It’s possible you felt that all the effort paid off when you were promoted to a managerial role—in which you excelled, no doubt. Yet, recently you applied for a higher level position, but this time things didn’t work out.In fact, it felt as if you walked right into a brick wall. In actuality, you may have experienced what’s called the “gay glass ceiling.” The World Economic Forum (WEF) has studied this problem and how it affects gay men.WEF found that this phenomenon is real and does have an impact on gay men and their careers.Yet, before you give up, know that not all hope is lost. Here’s what I mean.
The Gay Glass Ceiling
The gay glass ceiling refers to barriers opposing LGBTQ people who seek to advance in the workplace.Much like obstacles for women and other ethnic or minority groups, this ceiling is invisible. And yet, it’s very much real. It keeps you in lower level positions while others advance, even though you are perfectly qualified.If you have tried to move forward at your organization in the past but felt undeservingly blocked, it may have been from this effect.
World Economic Forum Research
The WEF has studied this issue using data from the UK Integrated Household Surveys from 2009-2014. This included more than 645,000 people, and among those were more than 6,000 people who identified as a sexual minority.What they found for gay men was particularly striking, including:
Gay men were more likely to be in a supervisory or managerial role.
These men, however, remained in lower-level supervisory positions compared to heterosexual men
Heterosexual men were more likely to obtain higher level supervisory or management positions, which also included increased earning potential.
In fact, earnings for gay men were 9% less than heterosexual men, according to the study.
Evidence of Discrimination in the Workplace
So, the question becomes whether or not gay men are intentionally being discriminated in the workplace. The short answer, unfortunately, is yes.The WEF indicates that some of the reasons for this phenomenon include observed characteristics and skills (such as education) instead of whether a person “earned” it or not.Also, the WEF reported that the problem is compounded for men who are both gay and a racial minority. This is as opposed to gay white men.
Making Progress Despite Obstacles
Despite the obstacles, the workplace landscape is transforming. Many companies now position themselves as being open and inclusive workspaces. In fact, when upper management leaders in an organization are “out of the closet,” that influences other employees.Additionally, the LGBTQ community is taking matters into their own hands with organizations such as OutNEXT. It bills itself as, “the first global talent development program for emerging LGBT+ executives.”
Allies Make the Difference
One critical factor that can make a big difference with coming out is whether you have allies in your network. Research from the Center for Talent Innovation says that for 24% of respondents, having allies in their professional circle made the difference for deciding to come out as gay.
What Gay Men Can Do
There are several things that gay men can do to empower themselves and move their careers forward, including:
Identifying allies in your organization.
Finding companies that are more inclusive and LGBTQ friendly.
Networking in your city among other gay male professionals.
Accessing broader national professional organizations for support.
Contribute to Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Although the gay glass ceiling still exists in some places, it is quickly cracking and even shattering in other instances. Today there are more companies, organizations, governments, and even the U.S. military that are accessible to gay men. The potential for leadership development and growth is as high as it’s ever been. However, there’s still plenty of work still to be done. For support navigating your professional career as a gay man, please contact me today to learn more about career counseling. I would like to help you become the leader you desire to be.