The experience of being the only one in the room of one’s gender, race and sexual orientation can be a powerful reminder of the discrimination women and minorities still face in the workplace. 18 percent of men said they experienced this situation regularly, while it was shared by 29 percent of women. Excluding minority and/or LGBTQ+ men, only 8 percent of straight white men experienced being the only one in the room often or always. While the sexes are equally spread, around 60 percent of U.S. Americans are non-Hispanic whites, according to the Census.
In contrast, 58 percent of female LGBTQ+ respondents found themselves as the only one in the room often and that number rose to 66 percent with LGBTQ+ women of color. The report found that LGBTQ+ people were still underrepresented in U.S. workplaces and that this effect was confounded for LGBTQ+ women. While around 5 percent of women in the U.S. identify as LGBT, the report only found 2.3 percent at entry level positions and less than one percent in managerial positions. For LGBTQ+ men, around 4 percent identified as LGBTQ+, while representation in the workplace reached around 3 percent for entry-level employees as well as managers.
The report assumes that there is a substantial number of employees in the U.S. that are closeted at work and do not tell their co-workers about their sexual orientation. In LGBTQ+ women, however, those who felt it was possible to come out at work were happier with their jobs. For LGBTQ+ people overall, between 21 and 36 percent said their sexual orientation was a barrier for progressing at their company.
