Economic consequences
The fact that trans people do not have the same access to the labour market as cisgender people has implications for their finances. The Nordic knowledge review ‘Trans People’s Working Life Conditions in the Nordic Region’ shows that trans people are more likely to have a low annual income. A Danish report shows that many have an annual income of less than DKK 100,000 per year, while in a Norwegian study, non-binary people stand out as a group with particularly low incomes. The finding that trans people generally earn significantly less than cisgender people is a result that persists even when accounting for other factors, such as age.
Trans people’s finances are further examined in the Nordic project ‘Trans, arbetsmarknad, plånbok’ (Trans, labour market, wallet). The study is based on a questionnaire survey with participants from Sweden and Finland. Some preliminary results from the study were presented during the conference in Stockholm and confirm findings from previous research on the low incomes of trans people. The survey also shows that a number of factors help strengthen trans people’s ability to work, for example support from a manager and the feeling that you can be yourself.
Lukas Romson (SE), equality consultant and expert on trans issues and one of the project leaders of ‘Trans, labour market, wallet’.
