Trans people’s work environment and life in the workplace

Discrimination in the workplace

In brief:

Trans people face a high level of discrimination and harassment in the labour market. Among the LGBTI community, trans people are by far the most victimised.
However, many trans people have positive experiences of their work environment. Many of the respondents across a number of reports had not experienced any discrimination and felt supported by managers and colleagues.
A Norwegian study found harassment was most commonly perpetrated by external parties, such as clients, users, patients or customers, followed by work colleagues, which was slightly more prevalent than harassment by employers.

All of the Nordic reports examining LGBTI people’s exposure to discrimination, harassment and intimidation showed that trans people were by far the most vulnerable group. The Danish report LGBT-personers trivsel på arbejdsmarkedet (LGBT people’s well-being in the labour market; 2019) found that one in four trans respondents (25%) had felt discriminated against or harassed at work because of their gender identity. This compares to 13% of gay cisgender men and 17% of lesbian cisgender women who experienced discrimination or harassment on the basis of sexual orientation (Følner et al., 2019). In the EU LGBTI Survey (2019), produced by FRA, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, the results for Denmark were slightly higher. In Denmark, 30% of trans people reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace in the past year. The corresponding figures for trans people in Finland and Sweden were 26% and 23% respectively. These results are statistically significant (FRA, 2019).

The Norwegian study Seksuell orientering, kjønnsmangfold og levekår (Sexual orientation, gender diversity and living conditions) also examined trans people’s vulnerability and experiences of discrimination in the workplace. The study showed that both binary and non-binary trans people were more likely to experience harassment in the workplace, as well as in education, than cisgender people. The study, which also examined the living conditions of the LHB community, showed a marked difference between trans people and other groups, with trans people facing discrimination at a significantly higher rate (Anderssen et al., 2021, p. 60). Harassment by external parties, such as clients/users/patients/customers, was most common, followed by work colleagues, which was slightly more prevalent than harassment by employers. Of non-binary trans respondents in Norway, 57% reported being harassed by an external party at least once in the past year, compared to 46% for binary trans respondents. Among cisgender people this figure was 27% (Anderssen et al., 2021). Among the respondents, 39% of binary trans people and 43% of non-binary trans people had been harassed by colleagues. This compares to 15% of cisgender people. The pattern was similar with respect to harassment by employers, but this was less commonly reported across all three groups. The study also asked whether respondents had been discriminated against by their employer in a legal sense, with 34% of binary trans people and 16% of non-binary trans people reporting being discriminated against in the last five years on the basis of gender identity or gender expression. This includes discrimination such as being moved to a different job, not being hired, having to leave a job or place of study, or being overlooked for promotion. This differs markedly from those in the LHB community, who were asked the same question, with responses varying between 4 and 11% (Anderssen et al., 2021).

The Swedish study Normer som skaver – Hbtq-personers sociala arbetsmiljö i Göteborgs Stad (Norms that hurt – HBTQ people’s social work environment in the City of Gothenburg) revealed the same pattern (Björk and Wahlström, 2018). The study found that HBTQ people were exposed to sexual harassment to a greater extent, and that this also applied in particular to trans, binary and non-binary, people. This is the only study in the material that examines sexual harassment specifically. In the Swedish study Kvalitativ studie om transpersoners organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö i en svensk context (Qualitative study on trans people’s organisational and social work environment in a Swedish context), published as a separate part of the research overview HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö – en kunskapssammanställning (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment – A knowledge compilation), the authors point out that the majority of people interviewed for the study and survey respondents stated that they had not experienced discrimination in the workplace. Of all the survey respondents, 51% stated that they had not experienced discrimination (Eriksson et al., 2022). However, the remaining 49% said they had experienced discrimination. Some reported career discrimination (16%) or pay discrimination (8%), but most said they had experienced discrimination in some other form (49%), such as being misgendered or subjected to inappropriate or offensive comments. This study shows that non-binary trans people faced discrimination at a higher rate than binary ones. In the European survey A long way to go for LGBTI equality (2019), 23% of trans people in Sweden responded that they had experienced discrimination in the workplace in the past year.

The Swedish public inquiry highlighted that discrimination in the labour market affects both the trans community and many people with a foreign background and other racialised groups. Difficulties in getting a job and the fear of being exposed to both racism and transphobia can create anxiety about one’s opportunities in the labour market (SOU 2017:92: 256). In an interview, a representative of the Blattetrans network talks about this double vulnerability linked to the labour market.

The representative of Blattetrans also told the inquiry that many in the network perceive the trans movement, and the HBTQ movement in general, as being dominated by white people, that there is too little discussion about norms of whiteness and that racism also exists within the HBTQ movement, making it difficult to find a place where they feel at home, even more generally (SOU 2017:92: 255).

The research review HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö – en kunskapssammanställning (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment – A knowledge compilation; 2022), summarises the international research situation, which shows that HBTQ people are exposed to microaggressions, discrimination, harassment and bullying to a greater extent than heterosexual cisgender people. Research specifically examining experiences of stereotyping amongst the trans, as well as bisexual and queer, community is limited, but the presence of stereotyping and its impact on the working environments of trans people is clear from the studies, which show, for example, the prevalence of transphobia, with trans people describing severe forms of transphobic harassment. Some of the international studies in the research review focused on the consequences of discrimination against trans people in the workplace. They showed, among other things, that greater levels of discrimination were associated with higher reported levels of emotional exhaustion during the next working day, that trans people who had experienced more discrimination from colleagues reported lower well-being and that trans people chose to downplay aspects of their gender identity in environments where they were at risk of discrimination (Eriksson et al., 2022).

Looking for work, being in a workplace. It’s too much to be both non-white and trans. You don’t dare apply for that job, thinking about what it might mean to work there, to endure both racism and heterosexism, to not get support from colleagues and managers. You don’t want to expose yourself. There are few opportunities to hold a job.
Representative, Blattetrans (SOU 2017:92: 255)

Negative treatment

In brief:

Many trans people have experienced negative treatment, such as derogatory comments and misgendering.
Misgendering, for example by using 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 engagement at work and increased workplace stress.

Trans people are also particularly vulnerable when it comes to exposure to negative behaviour, such as derogatory comments and microaggressions. In the Danish report LGBT-personers trivsel på arbejdsmarkedet (LGBT people’s well-being in the labour market; Følner et al., 2019), 23% of trans people surveyed stated that they had experienced derogatory comments or other negative behaviour in the past year, compared to 12% among LGBTI people as a whole.

In the Finnish study on young trans people (Lehtonen, 2016), respondents spoke about workplaces with generally negative attitudes towards trans and LGBTI people, which manifested, for example, in negative comments and jokes. This affected their ability to concentrate at work, whether or not the comments were directed at them specifically.

Among those who were not open in the workplace, it was also perceived to be difficult to challenge disrespectful behaviour and homophobic and transphobic comments, for fear of “being exposed” (Lehtonen, 2016).

The Norwegian study Seksuell orientering, kjønnsmangfold og levekår (Sexual orientation, gender diversity and living conditions) also examined derogatory comments. It asked whether respondents had experienced derogatory comments or behaviour at their workplace at some point in the last five years on the basis of being an LHB/T person. Of those surveyed, 42% of binary trans people and 37% of non-binary trans people answered yes to the question. This differs markedly from respondents in the LHB community, 10 to 18% of whom answered in the affirmative. A still greater number of trans respondents stated that they had experienced general negative attitudes and comments (i.e. not necessarily directed at individuals; Anderssen et al., 2021).

The Swedish study Normer som skaver – Hbtq-personers sociala arbetsmiljö i Göteborgs Stad (Norms that hurt – LHBTQ people’s social work environment in the City of Gothenburg) identifies disrespectful communication as a common factor that negatively affects the work environment, including, for example, trans people not being addressed by their chosen name or pronouns (Björk & Wahlström, 2018). In the qualitative part of the Swedish report HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment), which consists of a questionnaire survey and interviews with trans people in Sweden, most interviewees said that being misgendered was the most common form of harassment or microaggressions. Non-binary trans people in particular stated that misgendering was a common experience and that it contributed to a worsened working environment for them. Several felt that they were socially excluded and perceived misgendering as a way for others to signal that they did not accept their gender identity (Eriksson et al., 2022).

Trans and homophobic atmosphere in my earlier workplace make it impossible for me to return there (even if I could). I don’t have the energy for this environment. It makes working hard and very stressful.
Transmasculine respondent (Lehtonen, 2016: 301)

The research review in the same report (Eriksson et al., 2022) found that international research also indicates that trans people experience a number of different types of microaggressions. Studies from the US showed, among other things, that colleagues’ unwillingness to acknowledge or accept trans people’s gender identity resulted in reduced work engagement, trans people not wanting to disclose their trans experience for fear of it negatively affecting their career and trans people being misgendered or portrayed as difficult to deal with. All of these microaggressions were described as causing stress in the workplace.

The importance of workplace culture and knowledge level

In brief:

Workplace culture is emphasised as an important risk and health factor for trans people’s work environment.
Many trans people have experienced good support in the workplace.
Many state that leadership plays a major role in work on inclusion, but that managers’ often have insufficient knowledge to be professional in their approach.
An organisation that actively works on equality can be a positive health factor and provide a more inclusive workplace for trans people.
One report shows that there are more tangible risks of victimisation in workplaces with workplace cultures that are heteronormative and/or macho.

Support from managers and colleagues

The Norwegian report Seksuell orientering, kjønnsmangfold og levekår (Sexual orientation, gender diversity and living conditions) shows that many trans people have experienced support in the workplace. Among both non-binary and binary trans respondents, 77% had experienced that someone at work had supported, defended, or protected them in relation to their gender identity. Within the two groups, 72% and 68% respectively had experienced a more general positive attitude and heard or seen someone supporting, protecting, or promoting the rights of LHBT people in the workplace (Anderssen et al., 2021).

In the Finnish survey Sukupuolivähemmistöjen kohtaaminen työelämässä 2015-2020 (Swe: Att bemöta könsmångfalden i arbetslivet; Addressing gender diversity in the labour market; Saloheimo, 2021), a majority of respondents had experienced good support from colleagues. Slightly less than half of the respondents considered their gender identity a strength in their work and in the work community. About half (48%) felt that their employer or supervisor showed support and encouragement. There was a significant difference in the responses to this question compared to the 2016 survey, in which only 30% responded in the same way. There were also significantly more respondents in 2020 (43%) than in 2016 (12%) who said that their employer had organised the physical work environment, such as physical spaces and systems linked to names and staff cards, in a satisfactory way (Saloheimo, 2021).

In the qualitative study on the work environment of trans people in Sweden, in the report HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment), many described leadership as playing a key role in working towards inclusion. Many of the study participants said that they received much support from managers. Examples of support included managers taking issues of discrimination seriously, but also things like never having problems getting time off work for medical reasons and communication efforts in the workplace around issues related to the transition process. Practical support, such as the seamless handling of name changes and changing rooms, was also mentioned, as well as a manager taking responsibility for telling new colleagues about correct pronouns. Some respondents said that their managers were well intentioned but lacked knowledge, and that this lack of knowledge meant that managers were unable to deal with them professionally. Several participants said they would have liked to see a higher level of knowledge among managers, both about HBTQI people in general and specifically about trans people. Many of the study participants said that they also largely had supportive colleagues who accepted and respected them or had at least treated them appropriately and neutrally. The responses indicated that an important factor for feeling comfortable in the workplace was feeling that colleagues stood up for them and did their best to be inclusive (Eriksson et al., 2022).

Risk and health factors in the workplace

The same study (Eriksson et al., 2022) shows that workplace culture is an important risk and health factor for trans people’s work environment. The participants in the study highlighted that there are more tangible risks of discrimination, harassment, microaggressions and social exclusion in workplace cultures that are heteronormative and/or macho, i.e. characterised by an oppressive ideal of masculinity. The majority of study participants described their workplaces as hetero- or cisnormative. Many mentioned that hetero-norms, which regulate female and male behaviour, were a strongly regulating influence in both female- and male-dominated workplaces, but that there was more room for differences in workplaces with a majority of women. Many of those who had experienced workplaces characterised by traditionally masculine norms, described as macho by the participants, felt that those workplaces regulated gender expression more explicitly than others, for example through comments and questioning. For most, these workplace cultures had a negative influence on job satisfaction and well-being. However, it should be emphasised that although the terms macho and male-dominated were combined in several cases, this was not always the case. Some respondents also described their workplace as male-dominated with an inclusive workplace culture (Eriksson et al., 2022).

A workplace culture in which the organisation actively promotes equality can be a health factor and provide a more inclusive workplace for trans people. Some of the study participants specifically highlighted factors such as gender-neutral facilities, including toilets and changing rooms, and the importance of using correct pronouns. Other factors highlighted were good support from managers, for example in dealing with and preventing discrimination, and proactive work on health and safety issues and communication initiatives. Knowledge and expertise on trans issues, such as the transition process, were highlighted as important health factors, as was good support from colleagues. Access to support outside the workplace, via networks, a support line, or a trade union, was also stated as an important factor, but this was something many respondents lacked (Eriksson et al., 2022). The Finnish report shows that those working in male-dominated sectors experienced more problems with external contacts due to their gender identity than those working in other sectors, and they were less likely to perceive their identity as a strength than those working in other sectors (Saloheimo, 2021).

This is also in line with international research, which shows that HBTQ people may be less open in masculine-coded workplaces and that there may be an increased risk of discrimination and harassment in macho workplace cultures, due to more stereotypical notions of how men and women should behave (Eriksson et al., 2022).

Insights: Greenland

“Employers who discriminate will be held accountable”

In Greenland, there are no studies on the labour market conditions for trans people, so it is not possible to say anything about the situation in general.

“It is a general challenge that we face that there are no statistics on the conditions for HBTQI+ people. This makes work to promote change more difficult, because without such comprehensive knowledge, the problems we describe can be perceived as existing only at the individual level,” says Qillaq Olsen, Chair of Sipineq Plus.

The organisation was founded in March 2023 and its first project has been to translate various HBTQI terms into Greenlandic. In principle, the glossary is ready and now they are just waiting for it to be approved by the Greenlandic Language Council.

“The fact that there will soon be Greenlandic words for, for example, ‘homosexual’, ‘gender identity’ and ‘sexual orientation’ is important for ensuring that people understand what we are trying to communicate. The foreign words are often misunderstood, and many words have also acquired a negative connotation,” says Qillaq Olsen.

The hope is that the new glossary will help raise awareness of what it means to be an HBTQI+ person and challenge prejudices. Olsen believes this is important for improving conditions for HBTQI+ people in society as a whole and thus also in working life.

The studies that exist of trans people’s working life conditions in the Nordic countries show that many trans people have experienced discrimination both in regard to recruitment and in their workplaces. Qillaq Olsen knows that such experiences are also present in Greenland, while there are also trans people who feel that they are treated well at work.

Greenland does not have a law on discrimination against minorities, but this may be about to change. A proposal for an equality and anti-discrimination law is on the table of the Greenlandic government (Inatsisartuts), and it includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Qillaq Olsen hopes that the new law will be adopted soon and believes it will be important for the HBTQI+ movement.

“Employers who discriminate will be held accountable in a different way than before. The law also sends a clear signal that it is not okay to discriminate.”

One factor that Sipineq Plus knows affects conditions for trans people in Greenland is the lack of access to trans care. The legislation for changing one’s legal gender is the same as in Denmark and is based on self-identification, but trans people who need gender-affirming treatment face problems. Prescriptions for hormones are not available in Greenland, and there is at least one case of a trans person being fined after returning home to Greenland with hormones prescribed by a doctor abroad.

“You have the right to change the gender stated in your passport, but in order to receive treatment, in practice you have to leave Greenland. In other words, you have to leave the place that is your home in order to live as who you are, and this is something we know is a cause of a many cases of mental ill-health.”

Physical work environment

In brief:

The importance of gender-neutral toilets is emphasised in the studies. Physical premises affected the working environments of all interviewees in some way.
Gender-neutral changing rooms were seen as positive, but several study participants also emphasised the need for privacy, in terms of both changing and showering facilities.
Several international studies suggest that it may be useful for employers to reflect on whether formal dress codes can be discriminatory, as well as how informal and formal dress codes in the workplace affect the well-being of HBTQ people.

Physical spaces

The Swedish survey and interview study on trans people’s work environment found that physical facilities affected the work environment of all interviewees in some way, although most worked in a workplace with gender-neutral toilets. For example, it could be a matter of not having to make decisions about which toilet to use. The importance of the workplace having gender-neutral toilets was emphasised by the vast majority. Most had also experienced previous workplaces with gendered toilets, and highlighted this as a cause of anxiety, especially for non-binary people and those at the beginning of a transition process. However, for workplaces with changing and shower rooms there was more of an issue, as these were less likely to be gender-neutral. The presence of gender-neutral changing rooms was perceived as positive, but several study participants also pointed to the need for privacy – in terms of both changing and showering facilities (Eriksson et al., 2022). The Swedish public inquiry (SOU, 2017) also shows that access to changing rooms, showers and toilets is a factor where the situation for trans people needs attention with respect to the physical work environment.

The importance of being able to choose your uniform

The Swedish trade union Unionen has conducted a legal study, Vilka möjligheter har en arbetsgivare att påverka anställdas klädsel, särskilt med avseende på könsidentitet och könsuttryck? (What possibilities does an employer have to influence employees’ dress, especially with regard to gender identity and gender expression?) The report notes that employers commonly cite reasons related to the work environment to justify certain dress codes, which may be reasonable from a safety perspective. However, according to the report, there are few reasons for which employers in Sweden can restrict an employee’s gender expression, i.e. how someone expresses their gender socially, for example through their clothing, hairstyle, make-up or voice. If the employer requires a uniform and the uniform is available in different gender-coded versions, the employee should be able to choose whether to wear a feminine- or masculine-coded uniform. Refusing to allow someone to choose a uniform or to switch between different gender-coded uniforms can constitute discrimination. For example, if the employer does not provide feminine-coded uniforms in larger sizes, this may constitute indirect discrimination, at least if it particularly affects trans people (Unionen, 2016). In the Swedish public inquiry (SOU, 2017), several of the respondents’ accounts related to clothing.

Some days I dress the way I want to, and sometimes get comments about it, which I can still handle because I want to somehow create a culture where my colleagues feel they can be themselves, and that is more important than clumsy colleagues. But when it’s time for various trips, customer meetings and, e.g., management team meetings, I almost exclusively choose to dress as others would expect, put on make-up etc. – it feels like I’ve dressed up and am also emphasising parts of myself and my body that I don’t feel comfortable with, that ‘aren’t me’.
Account 91, SOU (2017: 381

Apart from these studies, no further Nordic knowledge on the physical work environment of trans people was found during the research review. It is clear that this aspect is important, and we therefore present some of the international research reviewed in the Swedish report HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment). One of the US studies reviewed in the report highlighted the importance of inclusive language around toilets and changing rooms in organisational policy documents. Formal as well as informal dress codes can be a problem. A major study from the US found that working in environments that required gendered dress, for example in the form of gender-coded uniforms, was discriminatory and restricted gender expression. The study indicated that the trans people who participated in the study considered gender-neutral clothing to be positive. Several studies indicate that it may be useful for employers to reflect on whether formal dress codes can be discriminatory, as well as how informal and formal dress codes in the workplace affect the well-being of HBTQ people (Eriksson et al., 2022).

Openness in the workplace

In brief:

Trans people are much less open about their gender identity than those in the LGB community are about their sexual orientation, according to the Nordic reports.
The reports also indicate that there is a general correlation between being able to be open in the workplace and well-being and satisfaction at work.
At the same time, some trans people have faced discrimination and harassment as a result of coming out in the workplace.

In the Finnish study conducted by trans and LGBTI organisations, it was clear that being able to be open in the workplace improved well-being and increased work motivation (Saloheimo, 2021). A Swedish study shows that those who were less open also felt less included in the social community of the workplace (Björk & Wahlström, 2018). A Danish report showed that there was a higher risk of depression and stress for those who felt that they could only be open in the workplace ‘to a small extent’ or ‘not at all’ (Følner et al., 2019). Overall, the Swedish research review also showed that being able to be open about one’s gender identity and/or trans experience can be important. The link between openness and well-being at work applied to trans people, as well as the rest of the HBTQI community, which was also studied in the research review. In the studies in which openness did not show a positive effect on health, it was associated with increased risk of discrimination and harassment (Eriksson et al., 2022). In the Finnish survey, just over a quarter of respondents said they were not open about their gender identity in the workplace. Those who were not open in the workplace were more concerned that openness would lead to discrimination and negative treatment from colleagues than from employers (Saloheimo, 2021).

The Finnish study on young trans people (up to the age of 30) showed that they were less likely to be open than older trans people, with 46% of transfeminine respondents and 60% of transmasculine respondents respectively saying they were not open at work (Lehtonen, 2016). Many were concerned about being treated unfairly or excluded if they chose to be open. However, among those who chose to be open in the workplace, few had experienced negative consequences, and most had experienced positive treatment and acceptance. Many of the respondents emphasised that it took much time and energy to think about whether or not to come out, and if so, to whom, how and when, but also that it could be stressful to hide their gender identity. The question of whether or not to be open in the workplace was the most common theme across respondents’ answers. For young people, who are new to working life and often have short-term contracts and thus often change jobs and colleagues, this becomes a particularly important issue (Lehtonen, 2016).

The Norwegian report Seksuell orientering, kjønnsmangfold og levekår (Sexual orientation, gender diversity and living conditions) divides responses between trans men, trans women and non-binary people. Among trans men, 40% stated that they are not open in the workplace, for trans women the corresponding figure was 21%, and for non-binary trans people 30% (Anderssen et al., 2021).

The Danish report LGBT-personers trivsel på arbejdsmarkedet (LGBT people’s well-being in the labour market), based on survey data, found that only one in two trans people were open about their gender identity in the workplace. Moreover, a quarter said they had regretted their openness at some point in the past two years. As mentioned previously, one in four respondents had felt discriminated against because of their gender identity and just over a fifth of trans respondents were in a high-risk group for job dissatisfaction. The same report, which also surveyed managers and HR staff, shows that only 68% of respondents strongly agreed when asked if it would be fully accepted if a trans or intersex person ‘came out’ in their workplace. For comparison, 85% strongly agreed with the statement when it related to someone coming out as gay or bisexual (Følner et al., 2019).

The Danish report Undersøgelse af udfordringer og stigma i forhold til at have en LGBTI-identitet i Danmark (Exploring the challenges and stigma of having an LGBTI identity in Denmark) also shows that trans people are less likely to be open at their workplace than the rest of the LGB community (Følner et al., 2020). When asked why they did not want to be open, about half of the respondents (49%) answered that they have no need to be open about their gender identity at work. Many (47%) said they thought it would make life more difficult, that colleagues would not understand (34%) or being accepting (30%), or that colleagues would subject them to bullying and harassment (28%). Some said they thought it would make colleagues uncomfortable (17%) and some said they thought they would be fired if they came out (12%). Respondents could choose multiple answers. Among the trans people in the study who chose to be open in the workplace, 19% had received negative comments about their gender identity at their workplace/place of education (Følner et al., 2020).

In the Norwegian qualitative study Alskens folk (All sorts of people; 2013), the experiences of the participants, who were all trans, of coming out in the workplace were very diverse. Several reported favourable experiences and that good support from management had resulted in colleagues being supportive and respectful. Others said that the choice to come out had instead led to serious negative consequences. One participant reported serious harassment and threats of violence from a colleague. Several participants reported that they had either lost their job or had been subtly removed from certain work duties and felt that their employer had tried to ‘push’ them out of the workplace.

You are elegantly deprived of work tasks. You are given tasks that they hope you won’t bother with. You realise that they’re interested in how you do things, and you feel monitored, almost persecuted. You become terrified of making a mistake so that they can catch you.
Informant (van der Roos, 2013: 52)

They felt monitored in a way they were not before and thus constantly afraid of doing something wrong. These informants tried to speak out and raise the situation with the union but found that this process often costs too much energy (van der Roos, 2013).

The Swedish report Jag är inte ensam, det finns andra som jag – Unga hbtqi-personers levnadsvillkor (I’m not alone, there are others like me – Young HBTQI people’s life circumstances), produced by the Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society, examines the situation of young LBTQ people in the labour market. It shows that young trans people are also significantly less open than those in the HBQ group are about their sexual orientation (MUCF, 2022). The EU LGBTI Survey II for Sweden shows that young non-binary trans people (aged 15-29) stand out, with 55% responding that they are never open about their gender identity at work (compared to 30% among binary trans people and 14% and 15% among cisgender girls and cisgender boys respectively regarding their sexual orientation; FRA, 2019). The interviews with young trans people in the MUCF report show that openness is an essential issue. Many reflect on the fact that being open is not always a choice and on the potential consequences of being open. One respondent stated that they believed their trans identity was obvious to colleagues at a previous workplace. Another respondent said it was clear to other employers that she is trans because she appears under a different name in a number of documents and has not been able to change her personal code number yet. This creates uncertainty for her, although she stated that she did not know if she was being discriminated against, for example, raising questions over whether this is the reason she gets fewer shifts than colleagues with the same skills. One respondent described that not being able to choose whether or not to be open was a barrier to applying for a job, and that the lack of identifying documents indicating the correct gender was still a barrier in this respect. One respondent said that openness was not really a choice because colleagues had found them on social media and then asked questions during work hours, which they felt added an additional workload on top of their regular duties. In their account, social media contributes to blurring the boundaries between private and public (MUCF, 2022).

Meetings with external contacts

Many respondents felt that they could be open in the workplace, completely or only partially among some colleagues, but often not in meetings with clients, users, pupils, parents, and patients (Björk & Wahlström, 2018). This is also in line with the European survey EU LGBTI II (FRA, 2019).

The Finnish survey Sukupuolivähemmistöjen kohtaaminen työelämässä 2015-2020 (Swe: Att bemöta könsmångfalden i arbetslivet; Addressing gender diversity in the labour market) also showed that among those who were open in the workplace, about half of those with outward facing roles perceived their gender identity to be a strength in these contexts, while about half perceived it to be a problem, with non-binary respondents in particular finding it difficult to express their gender identity in customer situations. Respondents reported intrusive or hostile attitudes of some customers towards trans people, which manifested in a variety of ways, including everything from misgendering to mistreatment. In male-dominated sectors, personal gender identity was perceived as a problem in encounters with external contacts to a greater extent than in other sectors (Saloheimo, 2021). The Swedish survey and interview study showed similar results. Some indicated that they were not open about their trans experience with customers and service users. When they were, they were often treated with respect, but the negative experiences of the study participants included gross insults and serious threats. However, the most common negative experience was being misgendered, but many said that in casual communication, such as in meetings with customers, it mattered less than when they were misgendered by colleagues (Eriksson et al., 2022).

The research review HBTQ-personers organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljö (HBTQ people’s organisational and social work environment), which also compiled international research on the work environment of trans people, contains sections that show the nuances and consequences of whether or not one is open in the workplace. Here too, visibility becomes an important theme. According to an interview study from the USA, being a trans woman resulted in low status in some occupations, and some interviewees felt that they would not be able to get jobs that involved outward facing tasks because they would be visible to customers and the public (Budge et al., 2010). In another study from the USA, trans women who were not open about their trans identity at work described avoiding displays of masculine-coded competences, as they felt their trans identity risked being revealed if they were associated with masculinity (Yavorsky, 2016).

Insights: Åland

“The risk is that you become isolated and don’t come into your own”

Being trans in Åland means belonging to a small minority, in a small community.

“Many people move to the Finnish mainland or to Sweden because they are looking for community and friends who share their experiences,” says Ida Aareva, who represents the organisation Regnbågsfyren.

Until recently, she was a member of the organisation’s board, but now she herself has moved away from Åland and thus also left the board.

Ida Aareva recognises that there is a lack of knowledge about the working life conditions for trans people in Åland.

“The truth is that there is probably not much information,” she says.

The mapping in this report shows that trans people in the Nordic countries generally face greater challenges in the labour market compared to the population as a whole. For example, they experience higher unemployment rates. Trans people are also overrepresented in low-income jobs, and many have experienced discrimination both in recruitment and in the workplace.

Ida Aareva does not see a reason to believe that conditions are any different in Åland compared to the rest of the Nordic countries, apart from the special challenges that come with living in a small community.

“It is easy to feel left out among your colleagues. Most people conform to fairly traditional middle-class norms. It’s hard to be the one who stands out and breaks those expectations, especially in a small community,” she says.

There have been no studies into the conditions for trans people in working life on Åland, but in 2019 the Government of Åland conducted a broader survey of HBTQIA people and their relatives. The survey was developed as the basis for an action plan on equal conditions for HBTQIA people in Åland society, and some of the questions are about treatment in working life. Due to the low number of respondents (fewer than 50 people), no statistically significant results can be presented from the survey, but the material includes a number of testimonies from Åland’s HBTQIA movement.

Some respondents describe that they cannot, or do not dare to, be open at their workplace, and Ida Aareva recognises this situation. She believes that many trans people avoid telling their managers and colleagues about their identity, precisely because norms are so restrictive. “It may work well for some, but if you feel you can’t be yourself at work and have to disguise yourself to fit in and be accepted, there’s a big risk that it’ll negatively affect how you feel,” she believes.

“The risk is that you become isolated and don’t come into your own. Working life is not just about doing a job with your hands and your brain. It’s also about being part of a community and feeling like one of the group.”