4 out of 5 FTSE 100 firms make no mention of trans employees
Four in five FTSE 100 companies make no mention of trans employees in their employer branding, diversity and value statements, according to research by the LSE.
Just 17% of FTSE 100 companies referenced transgender people after a rigorous search.
This is significantly less than the number of references for LGB issues, which have become mainstream and well recognised by employers in recent years.
The research by Professor Jonathan Booth shows that trans employees are routinely invisible in workplaces.
Many do it out of a need to protect themselves, the report says: “they are trying to protect themselves from challenges to perceived notions of ‘normal’ gender identity”.
However the LGBT community as a whole is also partly to blame, the study finds.
There is a general focus on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues in workplace diversity and inclusion programmes that are labelled as LGBT, meaning trans people can be silenced.
“Lumping gender identity with sexual orientation rights may have quelled trans voice by blurring the two causes when both are distinct and important societal issues.
“Additionally, the LGB community could be up to three times larger than the trans community – which may further explain why organisational efforts to support the LGB community are more widespread.”
The full report can be read here.
