It’s well known that transgender people are underemployed as a statistic. Studies have documented for years that trans people are significantly more likely than other groups to be unemployed or to hold positions of lower caliber than their peers. According to a study conducted in 2021, transgender people are roughly twice as likely to be unemployed as cis adults. However, until recently, the majority of studies focused on the experiences of binary transgender individuals seeking employment. Less was known about the employment prospects for non-binary individuals.
However, a study from the University of Toronto this year revealed important insights into the challenges non-binary people face in finding new jobs. According to the study, resumes that indicated a candidate who used they/them pronouns were less likely to receive a positive response from employers than resumes that either didn’t specify pronouns or indicated the use of she/her or he/him pronouns. A few months after the study’s initial release, social media posts about it went viral this week. The responses to the articles were largely negative, which might explain why some non-binary people struggle to find employment.
The study’s design was simple: Resumes and applications were sent out for available positions with similar qualifications—using the same gender-neutral names—but with one crucial difference. In a set of three, one explicitly stated they/them for pronouns, one used he/him or she/her, and the third did not specify pronouns at all. When applications were submitted, the researchers awaited an initial response from the company.
Contrary to resumes without adjectives or binary gender pronouns, those with specified they/them pronouns were statistically less likely to receive an initial positive response in the interview process. Applications with they/them pronouns were twice as likely to be rejected in overwhelmingly Republican regions compared to more Democratic ones, which also had a significant impact on the applicant’s political environment.
What is noteworthy about the study’s analysis is the effectiveness of binary pronouns like she or him and the absence of pronouns. Over the past seven years or so, a significant movement to include pronouns in email signatures and professional bios has emerged to reduce the stigma associated with transgender people in a professional setting.
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According to the study, “it is clear that applicants who are not binary may also benefit from concealing their identities.”
At least for binary trans people seeking new jobs, that effort seems to have been successful. Applications with binary pronouns received a slightly worse response than those with no pronouns at all, according to the analysis. However, it appears that non-binary job seekers were hindered by the success of suppressing binary pronouns. According to the study, non-binary applicants may also benefit from concealing their identities, at least during the initial application process. And this is evident when examining tweets discussing the survey’s findings.
The message gained attention from the app’s more vociferous transphobic side via quotes from right-wing figure Chris Rufo and the anti-trans hate group Composites of TikTok.
Many people are expressing bigoted reasons why non-binary people shouldn’t be hired, according to the comments. Several unfounded claims in the comments assert that trans people are mentally ill, dangerous, or unproductive. Some argue that those who use the pronouns “they” or “them” are inevitable workplace disruptions or human resources issues.
Discrimination against transgender people takes various forms in the workplace, some of which can lead to blatant and unjustifiable mistreatment. However, the discrimination highlighted in the study, where an employer notices and disregards an application based on pronouns, is much subtler and harder to prove. Many individuals seem eager to openly express their desire to flout anti-discrimination laws, based on the social media responses to this study. What’s particularly unsettling is that these commentators are projecting onto anyone who happens to be transgender or non-binary, imagining a specific person.
One tweet even claimed that “politics” don’t belong in the workplace.
Non-binary people are not “politics”—they’re people. Another person’s politics may influence how they treat non-binary people, but that’s not an issue with non-binary people; it’s a problem with bigots.
Comments like this offer insight into the mindset of those who oppose transgender rights. They don’t truly see non-binary individuals as thinking beings with lives, interests, and—in the context of the workplace—skills of their own. Instead, non-binary individuals are reduced to mere identities. They despise us simply because we are different from the norm.
In America, everyone is supposed to have the right to work, yet trans and non-binary people often don’t. Despite a liberal Supreme Court, promises of equal opportunity are not consistently extended in America. There’s still a long way to go before transgender and non-binary people can live on an equal footing, but it starts with recognizing each of us as unique individuals rather than just what sets us apart from the norm.
