Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Utah Women Stats Research Snapshot

Volume

34

Publisher

Utah Women & Leadership Project

Publication Date

2-17-2022

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Abstract

When thinking of gender inequality in Utah, many people immediately consider the difficulties of combining motherhood and employment,1 sexism in everyday life,2 or recent studies that have deemed Utah to be the “worst” state for gender equality.3 Further, women of color have different experiences than white women, as they experience racism and gender discrimination at the intersection of both.4 Inequalities in economic outcomes based on race and ethnicity are well documented5 and shed light on the fact that “women” are not a monolithic category. This snapshot focuses on an axis of inequality that has been studied less frequently, especially in the context of Utah: sexual identity.

“Sexual minority women” is defined in this report as those who do not identify as heterosexual (e.g., lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, asexual). They may face all the obstacles associated with identifying as a woman, in addition to possible discrimination or other disadvantages linked to their sexual orientation.6 Despite the absence of explicit laws against homosexuality in the United States,7 the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner highlights cases of homophobia8 in the United States to illustrate global patterns of victimization of sexual and gender minorities.9 There is also widespread discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace10 and education.11 In 27 states, no explicit laws protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity; Utah has partial protections.12 The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)13 produces state-level information about the experiences that challenge LGBTQ+14 students, and Utah-specific data show a vast majority are regularly exposed to anti-LGBTQ+ comments.15 However, less is known about the economic status of sexual minority women in Utah.

This report provides a descriptive overview comparing heterosexual and sexual minority women in Utah in the domains of educational achievement, labor force status, and income. The goal is to highlight areas where sexual minority women may be particularly economically disadvantaged. Unfortunately, specific data regarding gender identity such as transgender and nonbinary Utahns is virtually nonexistent,16 but they are known to be extremely marginalized economically and disproportionately affected by violence.17

Researchers analyzed data from the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) from 2020 and compared Utah data to national 2020 BRFSS data. BRFSS questionnaires and data tabulations are freely available through the Utah Department of Health (UDOH).18 Participants self-identified their sexuality (“Do you consider yourself to be: straight, lesbian or gay, bisexual?). In the publicly available data, participants are grouped into two categories: heterosexual/straight and everyone else (lesbian or gay, bisexual, other, and “don’t know”). Data presented here are weighted and age-adjusted by the UDOH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which allows comparisons between the national and Utah BRFSS sample and, in the latter, between heterosexual and sexual minority women.19 Age-adjustment is important with self-identification as younger women are more likely to identify as a sexual minority. Since the BRFSS national survey did not ask for sexual identity like the Utah-specific survey, all women from the national sample are compared to Utah heterosexual and sexual minority women.

This research snapshot focuses on three key areas:

  1. Educational attainment,
  2. Employment status, and
  3. Household income.

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