Labor Market Experiences of LGBTQ+ Individuals in South Korea: A Comparison of Transgender/Non-Binary and Cisgender Participants

• In Event: Sociology of Sexualities Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4: Sexuality, Labor, and Work

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to document the life course challenges and discrimination experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals in South Korea — spanning identity formation, independent living, job searching, hiring, and workplace experiences — and to examine whether these experiences differ by gender identity, drawing on a novel nationally collected dataset.
Methods: We analyzed data from an online survey of 2,633 SGM individuals conducted across South Korea in 2025. Frequencies and proportions of life course experiences, including labor market-related experiences, were reported for the overall sample, and chi-square tests were used to compare the experiences between transgender and non-binary (TGNB; n = 586) and non-TGNB (n = 2,047) participants.
Results: TGNB participants reported markedly elevated rates of academic and economic difficulties during the identity formation process, suggesting greater exposure to structural discrimination in education and employment. These concerns were reflected in lived experiences across the life course: LGBTQ+ identity shaped decisions around independent living, influenced job search strategies, and exposed individuals to discrimination and microaggressions in the workplace. While adverse experiences were widespread across the full sample, they were consistently and significantly more pronounced among TGNB individuals across nearly all domains examined.
Conclusions: These results highlight the urgent need for systemic change across multiple domains, including inclusive hiring practices and diversity policies in the workplace, legal gender recognition reform, and structural improvements in the educational system, to address the compounding disadvantages faced by SGM — and particularly TGNB — individuals across the life course.

Authors

• Bomi Kim, University of California-Santa Barbara

• Heeyoung Lee, University at Albany, SUNY

• Hyemin Lee, University of Oklahoma

• Seong-Jo Jeong, Chung-Ang University (South Korea)