Tessa Wright

Equality and diversity policies and practices at work: lesbian, gay and bisexual workers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify organisational good practice concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation and consider the impact of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs in‐depth interviews and a short survey with 154 lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGB) and 60 interviews with management, trade union and LGB group representatives within 16 “good practice” case study organisations.Findings – Before the introduction of the (SO) Regulations (2003), progress concerning equality, diversity and sexual orientation was made based on social justice and/or business case arguments. The research shows that an inclusive organisational response can benefit both LGB employees and their employers. However, an “implementation gap” between equality/diversity policy and practice on sexual orientation was identified. The introduction of the law as a further driver to equality action in the sexual orientation area has been p...

Lesbian, gay and bisexual workers: equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Purpose – Aims to present a report of a conference held at London Metropolitan University in June 2006 that presented and discussed the findings of a two‐year research project, funded by the Higher Education European Social Fund. The project investigated the experiences of LGB workers following the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulation 2003 in the United Kingdom.Design/methodology/approach – The research was a qualitative study carried out in 16 case study organisations, seen as representing “good practice” in the area of employment of LGB workers. The case studies involved: the analysis of company documentation and reports; interviews with 60 management, trade union and LGBT network group representatives, a short survey and in‐depth interviews with 154 LGB employees. The case studies were supplemented by a series of 25 national key informant interviews with individuals in UK organisations representing government, employers, employees, and LGB people charged with dissemin...

Uncovering sexuality and gender: an intersectional examination of women’s experience in UK construction

UK employers have been broadening their equality and diversity activities to include the issue of sexual orientation; however, the construction industry has been slow to follow. Equally there is a lack of research on the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers in construction. While women’s sexuality soon becomes a focus of interest when they enter male-dominated work, little research has discussed how sexual minorities–and in particular lesbians–fare in such environments. This article examines how both gender and sexuality interact to shape women’s working lives within the UK construction sector, drawing on 22 interviews and a focus group with heterosexual women and lesbians in male-dominated occupations in construction. While women share common experiences of heightened interest and questioning, open lesbians can sometimes minimize the sexualized content of workplace interactions. However the potential for exclusion on the basis of minority sexuality also exists. Sexual harassment appears less prevalent for women in professional occupations than in the past, while women in the manual trades reported that the problem persists. Lesbians can experience different forms of harassment, however, from heterosexual women, while employers are less developed in their response to homophobic harassment.

Lesbian workers: personal strategies amid changing organisational responses to 'sexual minorities' in UK workplaces.

Abstract This article reports emerging findings from a qualitative research study about lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people at work in the UK. The research focuses on the personal experiences and strategies of LGB people amidst changing organisational responses to sexuality within a new legal and political landscape following the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003. The article draws specifically on the perceptions of lesbian respondents about a range of issues concerning social inclusion and exclusion in the workplace including coming out at work, treatment by managers and colleagues, workplace and organisational culture and participation in LGBT groups and networks. doi:10.1080/10894160802174284

Lesbian Firefighters: Shifting the Boundaries Between “Masculinity” and “Femininity”

Abstract This qualitative study explores the interaction between gender and sexuality, comparing the experiences of lesbian and heterosexual women firefighters in the UK. It finds that female firefighters are constructed in terms of their sexuality. Lesbians may find it easier than heterosexual women to be accepted into the “watch culture,” in which “masculinity” is highly prized and fitting in with colleagues is seen as essential for performing the job safely. Lesbians who come out at work may also avoid unwanted sexual attention, which is often problematic for heterosexual women who are stereotyped as being sexually available to male firefighters. While the acceptance of lesbian sexuality is based largely on the adoption of characteristics defined as “masculine,” lesbians also provide a challenge to accepted models of “femininity.” doi:10.1080/10894160802174375

A “lesbian advantage”?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether lesbians may experience an “advantage” in non‐traditionally female work compared to heterosexual women, but argues for an intersectional approach to understanding the relationship between gender, sexuality and class in male‐dominated work.Design/methodology/approach – The research uses semi‐structured interviews with women working transport and construction, focusing here on an analysis of 13 interviews with lesbian workers, eight working in transport and five in construction, representing both professional/managerial and skilled manual occupations.Findings – The paper considers the question of whether lesbians may experience an “advantage” in non‐traditionally female work compared to heterosexual women, but finds that their experience is complicated by other factors such as ethnicity, class and organisational culture. Organisational response and practice in relation to sexual orientation is found to be equally significant in shaping the realities...

Gender, sexuality and male-dominated work: the intersection of long-hours working and domestic life

The UK construction and transport sectors remain the most heavily male-dominated industries, showing minimal progress in women’s participation. Long and inflexible working hours presume a male model of the worker unconstrained by caring responsibilities. Yet the experiences of the minority of women who work in these sectors are of interest to those concerned with reducing occupational gender segregation. Sexuality is often overlooked in differentiating women’s experience of male-dominated work, and gender conflated with heterosexuality. Through examining the interaction of domestic circumstances and work arrangements of heterosexual women and lesbians, this article finds that atypical domestic circumstances may be required to support male-dominated work. Heterosexual ‘breadwinner’ norms were challenged by women’s capacity for higher earnings from male-dominated work, but often required strategies to manage associated emotions. Evidence from lesbian relationships indicates a possible shift from prioritization of financial self-sufficiency in the context of legal status for same-sex partnerships.

Shifting Models of Equality? Union Equality Reps in the Public Services

This article explores how far the emergence of public sector Equality Representatives represents a departure from a distinct radical model of union self-organisation generated by the collective mobilisation of politically conscious identities, towards a more inclusive liberal model of equality based on abstract notions of ‘fairness’.

Tightening immigration policies and labour market impacts

The opening up of the European Union has encouraged a shutting down of borders to third-country nationals and in almost every Member State measures have been put in place to restrict such immigration. The consequences, as this article demonstrates, will be first to drive more people into undocumented status, with an accompanying worsening of employment rights and secondly, to racialise migration, through entry rights being denied primarily to those from the developing South. The UK is introducing a points-based system that limits entry from outside the EU to the highly skilled, and the government is at the same time targeting ‘illegal working’. Based on recent interviews, this article demonstrates the immediate and negative impact of some of these measures on migrants already working in the UK.

‘The only way is Essex’: Gender, union and mobilisation among fire service control room staff

This contribution to On the Front Line records a dialogue between two female Fire Brigades Union (FBU) representatives in the Essex Emergency Control Room, who led industrial action over the imposition of a shift system that stretched their work–life balance to breaking point and constrained their ability to work full-time. Their testimony reveals how male members were mobilised in the interests of predominantly female control staff. Kate and Lynne’s discussion illuminates the interaction of gender and class interests and identities in the union and in the lives of its women members. It provides insight into the efficacy of trade unions for women’s collective action.