Thank you to Manulife and the PROUD ERG for hosting me at their PRIDE fireside chat this week. We did an in-depth conversation on the queer and trans wealth gap, and what can be done to help narrow that gap.
Did you know that according the the HRC, queer and trans people make 89 cents on average to every dollar that straight/cisgender people make? That number changes dramatically depending on which letter of the rainbow alphabet you embody. For example, queer women make on average 87 cents, whereas trans men and non-birary people make on average 70 cents to every dollar that cisgender & straight people make. The numbers also vary depending on race and ethnicity – but the trend is clear. Just like a gender or racial wealth gap – there’s also a queer wealth gap. And there’s plenty of things that we can do to help bridge that gap! Such as:
- Targeting diverse populations in talent acquisition strategies
- Promote data driven pay equity that includes a lens both sexual orientation and gender identity as well as gender, race, ethnicity and other intersectional aspects
- Support career development
- Foster an inclusive culture
- Address workplace harassment
- Offering equitable healthcare benefits
