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There is no doubt that the world of work in Mexico has undergone important changes in terms of inclusion in recent years and that little by little we are approaching a more diverse and inclusive labor landscape, however there are still many areas of opportunity for companies to reach the ideal.
As we end Pride Month, LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, shares the results of its Pride at Work 2022 study, conducted for the first time in Mexico, which found that 32% of LGBTQ+ staff in companies claimed to have experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
Responded by 1,000 professionals in Mexico during the month of May, LinkedIn’s survey aimed to understand the perception of working people from the LGBTQ+ community regarding their inclusion in the labor market. One of the most important findings of the study was that there is a wide gap in the perception of the country as inclusive: 32% of LGBTQ+ respondents disagree that Mexico is considered truly inclusive and only 42% believe it is. 28% do not consider companies to be inclusive and while 63% of respondents agree that their lives as LGBTQ+ professionals have improved in recent years, 69% also say they still face more barriers to management positions than cisgender heterosexual professionals.
According to the study, 66% of LGBTQ+ people consider that inclusion programs and policies in companies have a real impact on the collective and although there have been advances in terms of diversity in the labor context of our country, there is still much to be done. Seventeen percent of the sample of queer professionals stated that their companies do not have policies that promote sexual diversity and 14% were unaware of their existence. In addition, still 9% of LGBTQ+ people have not openly disclosed their sexual orientation and gender identity to anyone at work and 21% have made this decision for fear of retaliation from colleagues. In addition, 37% of LGBTQ+ workers have only openly discussed their orientation with a small number of people at work.
On the other hand, 86% of LGBTQ+ people interviewed say that companies should continue to make efforts to promote inclusion with sexual diversity in the work environment and that this should be done all year round, not just during Pride month. Likewise, one of the most important areas of opportunity for companies in Mexico should be to take care of the mental health of their LGBTQ+ workforce, as 70% stated that they have suffered anxiety (46%), stress (41%) and depression (27%) as a result of the pandemic. The incidence of depression in the LGBTQ+ group is double that of the cisgender heterosexual workers group (13%), just as anxiety is nearly double, with only 24% of heretosexuals reporting that they suffer from it.
43% (LGBTQ+) believe that their mental health problems are to some extent related to their current job. Additionally, in terms of work patterns, 38% of the sample expressed concern about returning to the office and 58% said they felt more secure working from home, in contrast to 42% of heterosexuals.
“For LinkedIn, creating an inclusive world of work is one of our core ideological pillars. The results of this survey have reminded us that, although we are taking small steps towards achieving this important mission, we are still far from the goal. The diversity agenda must be placed as a priority in organizations. We are committed to providing information that continues to identify what needs to be strengthened to achieve a more equal workforce that not only respects diversity, but celebrates it.“said Edson Balestri, corporate relationship management leader for LinkedIn Mexico.
For the full Pride in the Workplace 2022 study, click here.
Methodology
The Pride in the Workplace 2022 LinkedIn survey was conducted among 1,000 Mexican professionals between May 6 and May 13, 2022 to people over the age of 18 who are currently employed or who have had work experience in the past.
