Dynamic Nonconforming Career Exploration of Gender and Sexual Minorities under Implicit Bias: A Retrospective Investigation

• In Event: 40820 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3: Gender Nonconformity and Institutional Constraints

Abstract

LGBTQ+ members are likely to choose a gender nonconforming career pathway. Even when most people are receptive to individuals with diverse gender and sexuality, implicit bias still affects their perceptions and actions when it comes to gender nonconforming career. Drawing on nearly 12 years of my lived experiences, as well as my interactions my family members, teachers, peers, and colleagues, I frame an autoethnographic account to illustrate how implicit bias against gender nonconforming career influences LGBTQ+ members’ career explorations. The autoethnography unfolds the influence of implicit bias on me is dynamic. Specifically, I illustrate that there are three time periods that characterize the dynamic change of implicit bias, including waxed, waned, and fluctuated. My analysis suggests that whereas LGBTQ+ members encounter complex dynamics with implicit bias, there is promise and hope for the future within and beyond the workplace. This work also
advances our understanding of the role of implicit bias in career development of LGBTQ+ members.

Author

• Eureka Guo, Oklahoma State University