Gay and bi men tend to earn much less than their peers each year, despite anti-discrimination laws — but lesbians are paid 7.1 per cent more than straight women.
This is the finding of a economist from the Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, who reviewed a series of past studies into salary discrepancies.
The greatest pay gap was found between straight and gay men in the US, with the latter earning 10.9 per cent less than the former.
In the UK, the difference was smaller but still problematic at 4.7 per cent.
In the United Kingdom, discrimination based on sexual orientation is supposed to have been prohibited as a result of the 2010 Equality Act.
Paper author Nick Drydakis speculated that the reason why lesbians tend to be paid more is because they are stereotyped as being more manly and career-focussed.
He added that they are seen as less likely to have a higher earning male partner to 'provide for them' or to take time out of their job to raise a child.
The average annual salary in the UK for men is £33,900, as compared to just £27,900 for women.
'The persistence of earnings penalties for gay men and bisexual men and women in the face of anti-discrimination policies represents a cause for concern,' said paper author and economist Nick Drydakis of the Anglia Ruskin University.
'Legislation and workplace guidelines should guarantee that people receive the same pay and not experience any form of workplace bias simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity status.
'Inclusive policies should embrace diversity by encouraging under-represented groups to apply for jobs or promotions and providing support to LGBTIQ+ employees to raise concerns and receive fair treatment.
'Standing against discrimination and celebrating and supporting LGBTIQ+ diversity should form a part of HR policies.'
In his study, Professor Drydakis performed a meta-analysis on data from 24 previous studies that investigated wages paid to people of different sexual orientations in countries across Europe, North America and Australia in the period from 2012–2020.
He found that, in the UK, gay and bisexual men together earn an average of 4.7 per cent less than heterosexual men in equivalent positions, while, in the US, this discrepancy is even greater at 10.9 per cent.
The investigation also found that bisexual men earn 10.3 per cent less than heterosexual men.
Lesbians, meanwhile, were found to be paid 7.1 per cent more than their straight counterparts, while bisexual women earned 5.1 per cent less than heterosexual women.
According to Professor Drydakis, explanations as to why lesbian women often receive higher wages than straight women typically focus on the former group's perceived 'masculine characteristics'.
'If lesbian women invest more heavily in market-oriented human capital by staying in school and choosing a major that leads to higher earnings and longer working hours, such choices can influence their workplace outcomes,' he wrote.
'Furthermore, a peripheral explanation for the lesbian earnings premium may revolve around women with children earning less than women without children.
'Lesbian women might prove less likely to have children than married women, so it makes sense that they may earn more because of their commitment to the labour market,' the economist continued.
'Additionally, lesbian women might show more dedication to the labour market because they are less unlikely to engage with a higher earning (male) partner who would provide for them.
'If this is the case, lesbian women might invest more in a workplace career.'
The full findings of the study were published in the Journal of Population Economics.
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Get a gay man, they're cheap.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Get a gay man, they're cheap.
Maybe gay & bisexual men just don't report all their earnings.
They are shifty people...
They are shifty people...