Silence at the Water-cooler: Understanding the Impact of Same-sex Marriage in the Workplace

• In Event: 563 - Regular Session. Sociology of Sexuality: Sexualities in Interaction

Abstract

This paper focuses on the workplace as an arena for assessing the social impact of same-sex marriage. Reporting on a cross-national comparative research study in the US, Canada and the UK, this paper draws on lesbian and gay couples' narratives on the ways in which same-sex marriage was acknowledged in the workplace. During the study, couples reported a number of reactions from co-workers to news of a same-sex wedding, ranging from acceptance and affirmation to blatant hostility. These narratives frame the workplace as a setting where personal and occupational identities intersect and sometimes collide. Co-workers' reactions to a same-sex marriage echo the notion of particular occupations as being LGB-friendly, in contrast to professions such as schoolteaching, where being outed as gay, lesbian or bisexual may still carry particular risks. Whereas anti-discrimination measures at national or sub-national level seek to protect LGB workers from unfair treatment, reactions to same-sex marriage from co-workers suggest that sexuality remains a potentially problematic aspect of identity in the workplace. Even apparently benevolent attempts to enforce equality through social rituals such as workplace wedding showers for same-sex couples are unlikely to be effective in the absence of active equality policies. The paper concludes that news of a same-sex marriage can test the limits of acceptance and be seen as a risk to occupational standing for LGB workers.

Author

• Michael John Thomas, University of Kent