SUMMARY

Trans people are a particularly vulnerable group and face various obstacles throughout their lives, not least in working life, where they experience worse conditions as a group than the majority population. At the same time, in recent years there have been setbacks in terms of the living conditions of LGBTI people in both the Nordic countries and globally, and trans people have been particularly hard hit. 

Today, there is limited knowledge of the working life conditions for trans people and the underlying factors that affect their employment. The national studies that have been published have different areas of focus, but collectively they can provide a clearer picture of working life conditions for trans people in the Nordic countries. 

The Nordic Council of Ministers has therefore initiated a project to summarise the field of knowledge in the Nordic countries. By consolidating existing research, the project helps to identify and, in some cases, fill knowledge gaps. The project is intended to provide a clearer picture of the living conditions of trans people in the Nordic countries, with a focus on working life. The aim is to highlight the working life conditions of trans people in the Nordic countries to enable dialogue and identify needs and measures for improvement.

The Nordic Council of Ministers’ co-operation body, Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK), located at the Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, carried out the project that resulted in the following knowledge review.

The knowledge review was developed from literature on the working life conditions for trans people produced in the Nordic countries, as well as dialogues conducted with civil society organisations and labour market actors. Interviews have been conducted with representatives of civil society organisations in Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland to get a picture of the situations there.

In the Nordic countries, as well as internationally, trans people are discriminated against in the labour market. Unemployment is significantly higher among trans people than among the general population. Several Nordic studies indicate that unemployment is about twice as high in this group as in the rest of the population. The included reports also show that there is a higher proportion of trans people in low-wage jobs and on low incomes compared to the general population. Insecure employment is also more common among trans people. The studies show that there may be particular challenges in career development for trans people. Many trans people also report physical or mental illness as a barrier in their lives and in the labour market. 

Several studies have examined self-perceived discrimination in recruitment through surveys or interviews. Overall, they show that discrimination against trans people in recruitment processes is widespread. A quantitative study that examined the issue beyond self-perceived discrimination also showed that trans people are discriminated against in recruitment processes, and that discrimination manifests differently in male- and female-dominated industries. Significantly more trans women than trans men and non-binary trans people stated that they have been discriminated against in recruitment processes. Requiring proof of previous names, for example, may leave applicants with no choice but to be open about their transition during recruitment processes. Web-based recruitment tools are often designed to require applicants to indicate their gender and often only provide two options, which works exclusionary.

Trans people are also heavily exposed to discrimination and harassment in working life. Among those in the LGBTI community, trans people are by far the most vulnerable. A Norwegian study showed that harassment was most likely to be committed by external parties, such as clients, users, patients, or customers, followed by work colleagues, which was shown to be slightly more widespread than harassment by employers. On the other hand, many trans people have positive workplace experiences. A large proportion of respondents in several of the reports had not experienced any discrimination and felt supported by managers and colleagues. 

However, many trans people have experienced negative treatment. According to the studies, misgendering, for example being referred to by the wrong pronouns, was the most common form of negative treatment. Non-binary trans people in particular reported that misgendering was a common experience. International research shows that microaggressions can lead to reduced job engagement and workplace stress. 

In the included reports, workplace culture is emphasised as an important risk and health factor for trans people’s working environments. Many trans people experienced good support in the workplace. Many also stated that leadership plays a major role in work on inclusion, but that managers often have insufficient knowledge to be professional in their behaviour. Working actively on equal treatment can be a positive health factor within an organisation and provide a more inclusive workplace for trans people. One report showed more tangible risks of victimisation within heteronormative and/or macho-oriented workplace cultures.

Physical premises had a major impact on the working environments for those interviewed in the studies. The importance of gender-neutral toilets was emphasised, and likewise gender-neutral changing rooms were viewed as something positive, but several study participants also emphasised the need for privacy – in terms of both changing and showering facilities. Several international studies highlighted that it may be useful for employers to reflect on whether formal dress codes could be discriminatory, as well as on how informal and formal dress codes in the workplace affect the well-being of LGBTI people.

Trans people were shown to be much less open about their gender identity than members of the LGB community were about their sexual orientation. The reports also indicated a general correlation between feeling able to be open in the workplace and well-being and satisfaction in the workplace. Conversely, some trans people experienced discrimination and harassment in the workplace as a result of coming out.

A Danish study showed that very few workplaces have a staff policy that addresses issues of gender identity or gender variance. A supportive organisational climate was linked to employees’ perceptions of a good working environment, job satisfaction and health, as well as their sense of wanting or having the confidence to be open in the workplace. To create an inclusive workplace, both open and hidden identities need to be taken into account. This means that workplaces should not assume an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

It is also clear that knowledge about trans people and their experiences is generally low and that there is a need for training and awareness-raising initiatives among managers and employees. Trans respondents in the studies reported that they would also have liked their trade unions and HR departments to have had greater expertise and thus have been able to provide greater support.

The knowledge review shows that many of the obstacles that trans people face in and around working life are based on restrictive norms, which are reflected in recruitment processes, work environments and opportunities for career development. Violating these rigid notions of gender often entails some form of punishment from the surrounding society, whether it is being eliminated from a recruitment process, being discriminated against or mistreated by colleagues and customers, or being treated unprofessionally by a manager. All the Nordic reports that examine the vulnerability of LGBTI people to discrimination, harassment and threats show that trans people are by far the most vulnerable group. In the studies and in conversations with civil society organisations, questions about health and ill health recur in various ways. The fatigue and loss of energy that results from dealing with microaggressions, discrimination and ignorance is one example. Isolation from the labour market due to fear of discrimination or mistreatment also recurs.

The knowledge review shows that there is little knowledge about trans people’s managerial and career development in the Nordic countries. Findings that indicate that many trans people face insecure employment and hold jobs below their level of education could indicate that only a relatively small group undertake a career development path that leads to a managerial position. Likewise, findings on the high levels of discrimination faced by trans people in the workplace, as well as the stress and exhaustion they experience due to discrimination and negative attitudes, support this theory.

It is important to emphasise the differences and variations within the trans group. The findings from several of the reports show that the nature of an individual’s gender identity affects their experiences in the labour market. For example, trans women face more harassment and discrimination than trans men, both in the workplace and in recruitment processes. Age is another important factor – young trans people are often particularly vulnerable, and there is evidence that many trans people have a difficult start in the labour market.

At the same time, there is a significant amount of missing information on differences within the trans group. There are many groups and intersections we know nothing about in a Nordic context. Intersectional perspectives are largely absent from the studied material, which can partly be explained by the fact that it largely consists of survey studies conducted with large sets of quantitative data, which rarely provide for intersectional analyses. 

With the exception of one report, economic vulnerability is not explicitly addressed in the included material. However, based on what we learn about the overrepresentation of trans people in terms of unemployment, exposure to discrimination, including in recruitment, illnesses that affect an individual’s ability to work and poor employment conditions, such as insecure employment and low wages, the results of this knowledge review indicate that people in the trans group are more likely than those in the majority population to have difficulty earning a living and be at risk of or living in poverty and economic vulnerability.

European analyses of the economic vulnerability of trans people, based on data produced by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), confirm that trans people often face difficult economic situations. Many trans people in the EU struggle to make ends meet and a large proportion have experienced homelessness. Data collected by FRA shows that trans people in the Nordic countries also often face economic hardship. The patterns in experiences of homelessness are similar to, and in one case worse than, those across the EU. These perspectives are examples of areas where more Nordic knowledge is needed.