How discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community affects the economy (June, 2019)
The day Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was struck down was a major revolution for the LGBTQ+ community everywhere, but that was only the beginning. A huge problem for the community is inclusivity. Discrimination and exclusion don’t just cause problems for members of the community but impacts the global political and economic scene as well. A study conducted by World Bank shows that on average homophobia costs the Indian economy anywhere from 112 Billion rupees to 1.7 trillion rupees. And that’s just India. It costs the world on average of 2 billion dollars every year. Now, just imagine what we could accomplish if we redirect all the energy put into homophobia and try to do something useful with it. The criteria for the calculation included an estimate of the loss in wages of the LGBTQ+ population in India, the health disparities that the population experiences (depression and anxiety) and any other career related inequalities that the community is put across. Wages – Discrimination in the later stages of an individual’s education can alter productivity and overall responsiveness. This links directly to their mental health and therefore reduces economic contribution. A study conducted in Chennai showed that two-thirds of the LGBTQ+ population earns less than 130 Rupees per day. In a study conducted by the Williams Institute showed that gay and bisexual men earn 10 to 32% lesser than their other male counterparts and also went on to show that the earnings of transgender women fell almost one third of their original pay. Health – Although it may not directly interlink with wages earned, health of an individual is extremely important and cannot be cast aside as trivial. Better health raises incentive for education, investment in the future and therefore improves overall productivity. But problems such as exclusion, depression, and anxiety hinder the LGBTQ+ population from earning what they truly should. Here is where the cost of factors like anxiety due to hiding sexuality, family decisions and being forced to be with a partner without a similar orientation come into play. Studies show that young LGBTQ+ people are four times more likely to consider or attempt suicide, while trans-gendered youth are ten times more likely to. Others – factors like education, public opinion and the current legal landscape also affect the productivity and earning of the LGBTQ+ population. Over 40% of the Indian population believes that being gay should be criminalised. Studies show that gay men are more likely to receive only 8-11 years of education as compared to the standard of over 12 years of education. Up to 45% of the young, homeless population identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the USA and legislations in countries like Iran, Russia and even India are restrictive and outcast the LGBTQ+ population. All these problems are majorly prevalent and will only become more rampant as time goes on. But not all hope is lost. According to various reports, businesses have taken many measures to make sure work environments are safe and inclusive for all. Many businesses centering around customer care have changed and implemented new strategies to make all customers feel included. Environments that are more accepting and open-minded have shown an increase in economic output by lesbian families. From 2017 onwards, census shows that 91% of all Fortune-500 companies have included harassment policies that include sexual orientation. In fact, Infosys in India has been one of the first few IT companies to include a new employee resource group called “Infosys Gay Lesbian and You.” Other multinational companies such as Google runs a group known as “Gaygler” to raise awareness for the community. Although so much is being done to improve the community, much more help and support must be offered. Some future steps that our governments could take are changes in policies such as broader schemes against discrimination in the workplace. Federal laws ensuring nobody is hired, dismissed or payed differently due to their sexual orientation and identity. Lawmakers should target and focus a comprehensive plan to ensure equal pay for the LGBTQ+ community. Fundamental rights such as workplace protection policies must be implemented as a start. There is much to do to ensure everybody is being treated fairly and equally but the most important part is that we have made magnanimous strides in just a decade. However, there is always more to be done.
You can find this piece at: https://queerdesiblog.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/chakgay-india-5.pdf