Gendered Intelligence are a charity working to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. They're also a Living Wage Employer. For LGBT+ History month, we spoke to them about how our movement for a real Living Wage intersects with their vision of a world in which trans, non-binary, gender diverse and gender questioning people live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives.
There isn't much by way of official data on how trans and non-binary people are impacted by low pay. Trans people are not accounted for in the Annual Labour Force Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics, which is what the Living Wage Foundation uses to analyse which groups in society are most at risk of being paid less than a real Living Wage. As a trans-led and trans-involving grassroots organisation with a wealth of community connections, we asked Gendered Intelligence if they could shed some light on the matter.
What can you tell us about how trans and non-binary people are impacted by low pay?
We know from our role within the community that transgender people are among the worst affected by low pay. Trans women are particularly at risk. And while there is a lack of official data on the topic, the research that has been done points to the same conclusion. For example, the last National LGBT Survey conducted in 2018 found that 60% of trans people earned less than £20,000 per year. Given what we know about the way that marginalisation works in employment more broadly - for instance, we know that Black people are 50% more likely to be low paid than white workers [1] - that trans and non-binary people suffer disproportionately from low pay isn't surprising.
The lack of official data is a real concern of ours. Data monitoring can seem like a boring issue, but the fact that we don't have statistics to track trans and non-binary people (the latter of whom don't even have legal recognition) can make it seem like there isn't a credible case for things like better anti-discrimination practices in the workplace. But low pay has a huge impact on the communities we work with. For one thing, LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately impacted by precarious housing, and low pay is a major factor behind that. We also know low pay leads to a higher incidence of poor health outcomes, both physical and mental. That's also something that has a high connection with LGBT+ identity. So we're talking about a really vulnerable demographic whose vulnerabilities are being compounded by economic inequality.
Part of the reason why trans and non-binary people are so at risk of low pay is discrimination within the workplace. But often LGBTQ+ people face structural challenges getting into employment in the first place, because of discrimination in hiring practices or educational settings. One of the reasons that LGBTQ+ people, trans people, and particularly trans women and people on the transfeminine spectrum are overrepresented among sex workers - an extreme example of precarious, low paid work with zero protection for the worker - is because often those groups cannot get access to other spheres of employment.
Why is paying the real Living Wage important to you?
The short answer is because it's the right thing to do. We know from our role within the community that trans and non-binary people are among the worst affected by low pay and poor employment practices more broadly. Because we predominantly employ trans people, we want to be proactive in redressing those inequities. It's about walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
The work of Gendered Intelligence is concerned with trans and non-binary people specifically, and our reasons for paying the real Living Wage are informed by the ways that low pay impacts trans and non-binary people in particular. But we believe that building practices and cultures into your workplace like Living Wage accreditation that support transgender people is also likely to put you in good stead for supporting other marginalised people. It is as important to us that the Living Wage supports trans and non-binary people as it is that the Living Wage ultimately supports all of us. It's a fundamental issue of social justice that people are paid a fair and liveable amount for their labour.
What does 'good work' look like for trans and non-binary people?
Ultimately, good work looks like an end to workplace discrimination. But that won't come to fruition without an end to the systemic inequities and discrimination that put up barriers to opportunity in the first place - it's a long term goal. One great thing to see more immediately would be, for example, for more workplaces to have transitioning at work policies. It's really important not to make assumptions about the needs of any of your staff, and to make policies accessible to them from day one.
Another thing is education. One of the main forms of education and outreach that Gendered Intelligence provide is professional development sessions for workplaces, which give people the opportunity to learn the basics. We talk about 'what transgender people are', and we create a safe space for people to ask the questions that they're not so sure about. A lot of anxiety around trans and non-binary people in the workplace comes not from hate or discrimination, but from people worried about saying the wrong thing, for example not knowing how to ask for pronouns, or how to address people. We want to create a safe environment where people can ask those questions, educate themselves and feel confident educating and supporting their friends and colleagues.
At the end of the day, changing the fundamental inequalities that are baked into society is hard. Supporting trans people in the workplace is not hard. It's about making sure you know how to do it, have access to the right resources, are providing the right kinds of support.
[1] Based on Living Wage Foundation analysis of ONS, Labour Force Survey, October 2019-September 2020