Trends in Wage Disparities by Sexual Orientation in the United States

• In Event: 2451 - Section on Organizations, Occupations, and Work Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 8. Income Disparities

Abstract

Research has consistently demonstrated a wage disadvantage for gay male workers compared to straight male workers, but in some studies lesbian female workers have a wage advantage over straight female workers. However, little work has examined how these wage differences by sexual orientation may have changed over time. This study tests whether these wage differences have declined over time using multiple measures of sexual orientation with data from the 2000 Census, 2017 American Community Survey, and 1989–2016 General Social Survey. Results consistently demonstrate the wage disadvantage for gay men and the advantage for lesbian women have both declined in recent decades. However, results from quantile regressions show both the levels and trends in these wage differences vary across the wage distribution, as does the explanatory power of workers’ individual characteristics.

Author

• Ryan Finnigan, University of California, Davis