Via 365Gay News: Study finds half of college-educated gays in the closet at work

Almost half of college-educated gay Americans hide their sexual orientation at work despite company policies to extend protection and benefits to gay employees, according to a new study by The Center for Work-Life Policy.


The study said that 48 percent of gay workers are closeted – and about a third of those closeted workers are nevertheless out in their personal lives, causing them to a lead a “double-life.”  The result is that they “are more likely to report job-related stress and isolation than their peers and more likely to say they want to leave their current jobs,” said Yahoo News.




Most Fortune 500 companies prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and extend benefits to workers’ same-sex partners, but the study found that people aren’t always aware of these policies or what they mean.

It is also possible, the authors suggest, that some closeted employees may be responding to their environment.  Some straight co-workers (37 percent of women and 52 percent of men) say that they would prefer gay people to keep their personal lives private.

Only 21 states prohibit employers from discriminating against LGBT workers.

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