Moving Beyond the Gender Binary: Bias Against Nonconformity

In a hypothetical workplace scenario, non-binary individuals assigned male at birth were rated lowest in both likeability and job performance, while those assigned female at birth were rated more favourably. Cisgender employees consistently received the highest ratings.

What is the relationship between assigned sex and gender identity in shaping workplace and co-worker perceptions? In this study, it was hypothesized that cisgender employees would receive the highest ratings, followed by transgender employees, and then nonbinary employees.

Dray et al. (2020) investigated how societal norms, drawing on gender schema theory, have historically favoured binary gender identities, resulting in discrimination against individuals who deviate from these expectations. Previous research has shown that non-binary individuals face greater discrimination than binary transgender individuals, often being forced into binary categories within workplace settings.

The researchers recruited 249 participants through MTurk, Amazon’s crowd-sourcing website. Despite the aim of the study, it is interesting to note that none of the participants themselves identified as non-binary. The participants rated a hypothetical co-worker’s likeability and job performance based on assigned sex (male or female) and three possible gender identities (man, woman, or nonbinary).

The statistical analysis revealed significant interactions. Non-binary individuals assigned male at birth were rated lowest in both likeability and job performance, while those assigned female at birth were rated more favourably. Cisgender employees consistently received the highest ratings.

The findings highlight the challenges non-binary employees face, especially those perceived as deviating from traditional masculinity. This emphasizes the need for inclusive workplace policies and additional research to combat biases against gender-diverse employees.

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Study Details

Sample size(s): 249 people recruited through Amazon’s MTurk

Participants: Employed U.S. adults, with a range of diverse characteristics including race and sexual orientation, though none identified as non-binary

Design: Experimental

Reference:

Dray, K.K., Smith, V.R.E., Kostecki, T.P., Sabat, I.E., & Thomson, C.R. (2020). Moving beyond the gender binary: Examining workplace perceptions of nonbinary and transgender employees. Gender Work Organ. 27: 1181–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12455

Summarized by: Giulia Gepilano

Edited by: Margie Christ