As I type this up, my gay roommate is in his room working on his resume as he is searching for a more intrinsically rewarding job. We've all done the dreadful deed of working on the one to three page summation of your life's work. Working in higher education, I've often questioned if I put my Managing Editor position at Instinct Magazine as an item for consideration. Do I as well include my time advising Civil Rights Teams?
No matter how hard we think about what we should and should not put on our resume, because of findings in a new study it may not make a difference because our gay voice may dictate what kind of employment we receive. In a recent post on Mic.com titled Gay Workers May Lose Promotions, Raises Because Of Bias Toward Their Voice, Study Suggests the elaboration is not too comforting.
Gay men and lesbian women may be passed over for leadership positions, and possibly even raises, because of discrimination related to the sound of their voice, according to new research.
During the study, published in March by the Archives of Sexual Behavior, sample groups were provided pictures and recordings of a mix of different speakers, some heterosexual and some not. The respondents, recruited through an Italian university, were asked to guess speakers' sexual orientations based only on the images and voices.
Next, researchers chose the speakers who were most likely to be perceived as homosexual and the speakers who were most likely to be perceived as straight: In a follow-up study, researchers played a short recording of the two "types" of voices and had subjects answer a series of questions about the speakers' qualifications for an executive job listing. Study participants also had to supply a monthly salary figure they thought was fair.
Overall, "applicants" perceived to be gay were assigned lower pay and were more likely to be rated "inadequate" for leadership roles, regardless of whether they were male or female. The researchers also asked whom subjects would prefer to associate with, and found evidence of bias toward gay men.
"What is most concerning about this study is the subconscious behavior intention of participants, where heterosexual male participants avoided choosing a gay male as an acquaintance," professor and study author Fabio Fasoli said in a statement. "This study demonstrates that unacceptable levels of discrimination, be they subconscious or conscious, still exist in our society." – mic.com
So we may look good on paper, but when we open your big gay mouth, we're done for?
Related Post: Do I Sound Gay?" Hits NYC One Week From Today.
What is the stereotypical gay voice? Do you know when you hear someone speak if they are LGBT or not?
I ask Dr. Fasoli how you quantify whether a voice is gay or straight sounding. "This was based on previous research we'd done in which we asked people to categorize sexual orientation based on voice samples," he responds. Obviously, Fasoli confirms, we're not able to judge sexual orientation correctly from voices. But a stereotype persists—of gay men sounding feminine, and lesbian women sounding huskier, or more masculine. – braodly.vice.com
Instincters, What are your thoughts?
Do you feel you have been discriminated against by your employer because you "sound gay."
Do you put things that are LGBT on your resume?
Legally, the EEOC is required to tell your employer who has filed a charge against them, but you could choose to remain anonymous by having someone else file the report in your stead.
A warning: There is a time limit. You must file a claim within 180 days of the discriminatory act you're reporting, although certain states grant extensions. – mic.com
h/t: mic.com, braodly.vice.com
That’s not cool.
That's not cool.