Consequences for life and finances
Work and life conditions are always closely linked. The results of the EU LGBTIQ Survey III indicate that trans people are more likely than the majority population to experience difficulties earning a living and being at risk of or living in poverty and economic vulnerability. This picture is also reflected in previous Nordic findings on the overrepresentation of trans people in terms of unemployment, exposure to discrimination (including in recruitment), health problems that affect work ability and poor employment conditions, such as precarious employment and low pay (Young Håkansson, 2024).
All respondents financial situation in terms of making ends meet
Trans women
Trans men
Non-binary or gender-diverse
Figure 7 Making ends meet. Answers from EU.
The EU LGBTI Survey III uses the measure ‘making ends meet’, with a scale ranging from ‘fairly to very easily’, ‘with some difficulty’, ‘with difficulty’ to ‘with great difficulty’. The measure is used as a background variable of a respondent’s financial situation. The results show that a large proportion of trans people, almost half of respondents, across the EU only make ends meet with some degree of difficulty. In comparison, 30–35% of cis men and women belonging to sexual minorities (LGB) in the survey stated that they make ends meet with some degree of difficulty.
Respondents who have experienced housing difficulties
Figure 8 Have you ever experienced any of the following housing difficulties? Respondents were able to chose multiple options.
Many of the trans respondents in the Nordic countries have experienced severe economic vulnerability, such as homelessness. Different forms of homelessness include having to ‘sleep rough’ or sleep in a public place, stay with a friend or relative, stay in a place not intended as a permanent home or in emergency or temporary accommodation. Sweden stands out in particular, where 29–38% of trans women, trans men and non-binary trans people have experienced some form of homelessness, one of the highest rates across EU countries. The EU average is 17–19% across the different groups. Among trans people who also belong to another minority, the percentage is slightly higher for each group. It is also alarming that 10–22% of young trans people, aged 18–24, across the different groups and in the three Nordic countries have experienced homelessness.
In Denmark and Finland, those who had experienced homelessness reported that this period lasted about 6–10 months, depending on the trans group, and in Sweden the period was about 10–13 months. The most common reasons stated for homelessness were financial problems and insufficient income or unemployment, followed by family and relationship problems, and health problems.