In a survey conducted across the European Union to understand workplace issues, 54% of transgender respondents stated that they “have felt personally discriminated against or harassed because of being perceived as trans.” In another study of 6,436 transgender men and women from the U.S., 50 percent reported having experienced harassment at work and 44 percent reported having experienced hiring discrimination based on their identity. Parallelly, in another survey, 27% of Americans stated that they would not want to befriend a transgender individual.
Looking at the scenario in India, the transgender community here is often mistakenly thought of as roadside beggars, or uninvited wedding guests, seen collecting alms. The transgendered community, however, is much more than that. Besides being a misunderstood concept, the community faces many other challenges within the country. Transgender persons have been defined as those individuals who are socially, legally, and medically categorized as a particular gender at birth, but it does not match with their present gender identity. For instance, an individual who may have been categorized as female at birth, but identifies as a man in terms of their internal experience of gender can be then categorized as a transgender. Within this categorization, transgendered individuals can also identify with being a trans man, trans woman, or nonbinary. Transgender people may or may not be intersex. It is a self-stated identity. However, the recent Bill Transgender Protection of Rights Bill (2016) defines trangenders in a different manner: it says that a transgender person is someone who is “neither wholly female nor wholly male, or a combination of female and male, or neither female nor male; and whose sense of gender does not match with the gender assigned to that person at the time of birth, and includes trans men and trans women, persons with intersex variations, and genderqueers.”
Although the transgender community has been represented historically in ancient (Hindu) Indian culture, it has seen a strategic and conscious exclusion in contemporary times. Mainstream employment is not as easy an option for them. The recent transgender protections of rights bill brings many challenges for the community. The gender identity certificate requires the individuals to go through a screening process to assess their status of being transgender, which stands in violation of their right to self-identification. This also stands in violation of the right to privacy. Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, a landmark judgment by the apex court, stated that one’s sexual orientation falls under the right to privacy.
The bill does not recognize hijra adoption families, and ignores the need of a cogent healthcare system for the trans community amongst other concerns. One such practical concern is the lack of employment guarantee for the community. As these individuals face immense social stigma, discrimination, violence, and exclusion, employment then seems a far fetched dream.
Though there have been some genuine efforts by the government of various states, such as those of Kerala, Tamil Naddu, and Odisha to combat the exclusion and guarantee employment to the transgender communities, the situation remains unchanged.
The corporate sector remains hesitant to bring an organizational change to accommodate the transgenders. A survey in the US has revealed that seventy-seven percent of transgender employees have refrained from revealing their sexual identity to avoid being discriminated against. Another survey done in the US has revealed that 25% of transgender respondents reported having been denied their healthcare insurance coverage due to them being a transgender individual. The same survey also revealed that 16% of them reported having lost their job on revealing their gender identity, 15% were harassed, abused, or attacked at work due to their sexual orientation. This is likely to distress these individuals severely, and not to mention, leave them economically despaired.
However, inclusivity may not be bad news for the corporate sector. A study has also revealed that employees who view their organization as diverse may feel that their company is more committed to innovation, and in turn, maybe more productive.
Vodafone’s survey revealed that 83% of the people in a sample of more than 3000 LGBTQ+ individuals (broadly defined) would prefer to work with visible LGBTQ leaders. According to Hewlett and Yoshino’s 2016 study, 72% of allies say they are more likely to accept a job at a company that’s supportive of LGBT employees.
Moreover, inclusivity is likely to contribute to the economic forum of an organization. A study states that almost 6% of most populations are from the LGBTQ community. Converted into monetary terms, this would mean approximately $200 billion worth of the country’s GDP, and it remains untouched. The gender stereotypes do not even fit the clearly established gender-female, into many roles. In such a case, a third gender then becomes far from imagination.
So now the question is, what can the organizations do to introduce and ensure the inclusivity of the transgender community at organizations? Understanding the background of these communities and acknowledging the difficulties they may face on a day-to-day basis is the first step that can lead to the further development of an elaborate system to ensure inclusivity.
Organizations can focus on many training programs to encourage and ensure inclusivity in the workplace. One such measure which may prove beneficial to ensure inclusivity can be through developing diversity training. Diversity training may possibly be instrumental in enabling the employees to interact and engage with the members of the transgender community (and other members of the LGBTQ community). Such interactions and mere exposure to the transgender community can open doors for a better understanding of their issues. Contact hypothesis also plays a crucial role here, as mere interaction between two groups can substantially decline prejudices held and reduce us v/s them effect.
Additionally, adopting trans-inclusive policies can catalyze the process of inclusivity in organizations. Gender-neutral washroom access, dress code, and usage of correct pronouns are some policies that can help the trans members feel accommodated in the organization.
Workplace stress is one of the leading factors of mental disorders.
For a community that has faced immense discrimination and strategic exclusion, workplace inclusion and employment guarantee can bring huge relief. Many organizations such as Godrej India, Tata Motors, IBM, Accenture have actively taken steps to promote gender inclusivity, specifically, trans inclusivity in their workplace policies. However, with the long-standing norms of gender roles and stereotypes, it remains to be seen whether the transgender community would be accommodated in a more inclusive setup.
Bhavyaa Sehgal
