Abstract
In this chapter, we explore the workplace experiences of LGBTQ parents. We begin by presenting workplace policies that have the potential to uniquely impact LGBTQ parents, focusing on family/parental leave and family medical coverage. Following our presentation on workplace policies, we provide an overview of contemporary theoretical perspectives that have been used to help understand workplace experiences of LGBTQ parents as well as critical theories that pose the greatest possibility for advancement in this area as they incorporate a more nuanced understanding of LGBTQ working parents. These theoretical perspectives include role theory, gender role theory, stigma theory, and minority stress theory, as well as transformative perspectives, feminist theory, and queer theory as they relate to LGBTQ working parents. We then summarize the literature that has incorporated the various theoretical approaches to empirically explore the workplace experiences of LGBTQ parents. Finally, based on the theoretical frameworks and empirical literature that we present, we provide implications for practice and recommendations for future research. We begin with some strategies to affect change, and in the spirit of embracing a larger systems perspective, we provide suggestions at the individual, organizational, and national level.
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Notes
- 1.
Note that we are purposeful with our acronym of LGBQ (vs. LGBTQ or LGBT) given the focus of the research studies we examined.
- 2.
We wish to emphasize that the term “queer” has multiple meanings and is used by some members of the LGBT community as an overarching inclusive term (i.e., to refer to those who are either not heterosexual or not cisgender). Queer has been used to refer to sexual orientations that reject or go beyond the gender binary and also to refer to one’s own gender identity (i.e., “genderqueer,” which may also refer to those who identify as gender nonbinary, agender, or gender nonconforming). For some, queer has sociopolitical meanings and is strongly tied to schools of thought such as queer theory. In such cases, queer can refer to the deconstruction or rejection of heteronormative assumptions about gender and sexuality and seeks to claim space in society. As such, we take an inclusive approach throughout the chapter.
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Huffman, A.H., Smith, N.A., Howes, S.S. (2020). LGBTQ Parents and the Workplace. In: Goldberg, A.E., Allen, K.R. (eds) LGBTQ-Parent Families. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35610-1_17
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