{"id":410,"date":"2026-04-30T15:40:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:40:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/shauntellgavinocollins\/?page_id=410"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:49:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:49:02","slug":"soc-337","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/shauntellgavinocollins\/soc-337\/","title":{"rendered":"SOC 337"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SOC 337 – Social Research Methods<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Hiring Discrimination Against Openly Gay Feminine Men in the Workforce
Shauntell Gavino-Collins
Department of Sociology, Old Dominion University
SOC 337: Social Research Methods
Dr. Jeehye Kang
October 05, 2025<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n


Even though society has made progress toward LGBTQIA+ acceptance, discrimination in
hiring still happens in subtle ways. One group that faces this strong bias is openly gay men who
present themselves in a more feminine manner. Many of these men experience a \u201cdouble
penalty\u201d and one for their sexual orientation and another for how their gender expression
challenges traditional masculinity. This leads to consequences in hiring, lateral moves, and career
advancement. My research question asks: How does feminine gender expression among openly
gay men affect their chances of being hired, especially in male-dominated jobs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In Wielding Gay Men\u2019s Agency: Empirical Evidence from HEIs in the Philippines,
Labayandoy and Erasga (2024) examine how gay men working in higher education exercise
agency in environments shaped by heteronormativity. They note that \u201cthe school, like many other
social institutions, is not immune from the far reaches of heteronormativity,\u201d and that
participants responded by \u201cdistancing strategically and displaying masculinity\u201d or by \u201cdissenting
intellectually\u201d (pp. 2510). This means they often had to decide when to be open and when to hide
who they are to avoid negative judgement. The study shows how professional spaces tend to
reward people who fit traditional expectations of masculinity. This kind of pressure can shape
how openly gay men present themselves, especially when being too feminine might limit their
opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


In Task Interdependence and the Discrimination of Gay Men and Lesbians in the
Workplace, Lim, Trau, and Foo (2018) examined how the structure of jobs influences bias during
the hiring process. They found that \u201cgay men and lesbians are discriminated against for task-
interdependent occupations by hiring personnel\u201d (p. 1385). Essentially, employers were less
likely to select openly gay applicants for jobs that require close collaboration. This pattern stems
from perceptions of \u201ca lack of fit between a gay or lesbian job applicant and a high-task-
interdependent job due to their stigmatized identity\u201d (p. 1387). This means that discrimination is
not just about sexual orientation, it is also about how employers associate certain personal traits,
like femininity or nontraditional gender expression, with poor team compatibility. Together, these
findings suggest that bias may be intensified in male-dominated workplaces, where social norms
about masculinity remain considerably strong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Steffens et al. (2019) studied how stereotypes about gay and straight men affect hiring
decisions. They found that gay men were seen as \u201cless masculine, and more communal than
heterosexual men\u201d (p. 548). These traits are often labeled as more feminine, which can make gay
men seem like a poor or lesser fit for jobs that value masculinity or dominance. The researchers
also found that \u201cboth perceived agency and communion determine hireability judgements,
particularly in gender-neutral job contexts\u201d (p. 549). Whether someone is seen as strong or
caring can potentially change how likely they are to be hired, depending on the type of job.
Despite Steffens et al. (2019) found \u201cno difference in agency\u201d between gay and straight men,
they did find \u201cpositive and negative indirect effects of sexual orientation on hireability\u201d (p. 548),
which means that stereotypes still shape how people were judged. These results show how both
sexual orientation and gender expression, openly gay men who act or appear more feminine, face
extra barriers and difficulties due to how others judge someone\u2019s competence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Bailey, Wallace, and Wright (2013) conducted a field experiment in Are Gay Men and
Lesbians Discriminated Against When Applying For Jobs? They sent out more than 4,600
identical resumes that only differed in whether they hinted at being gay or straight. The results
provided evidence that found no bias at the first screening step and concluded that \u201cthere is no
evidence that gay men or lesbians are discriminated against in their first encounter with
employers\u201d (2013, p. 888). Since their field experiment only tested the first encounter with
employers, it is important to look at the rest of the screening process, such as face-to-face, where
the gendered cues and expression matter. Bias may be muted at initial resume review but can
surface once sexual orientation and femininity\/masculinity become visible and job context
activates role-fit stereotypes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Finally, the research shows that bias against openly gay men becomes more visible in
situations where gender expression and teamwork expectations meet. While Bailey et al. (2013)
found no discrimination in early resume screenings, the other studies above suggest that subtle
forms of bias appear later in the process. For this paper, the dependent variable is the likelihood
of being hired, while the independent variable is gender expression (feminine vs. masculine
presentation). Another factor that is considered would be contextual influences shapes how bias
appear. These variables demonstrate how appearance, behavior, and context interact to influence
hiring outcomes for gay men. Based on this review, my hypothesis is that feminine gender
expression among openly gay men is negatively associated with their chances of being hired for
jobs that emphasize traditionally masculine traits. This relationship highlights how gender norms
and stereotypes continue to shape workplace inequality in ways that are often hidden behind
neutral hiring processes. Even when hiring seems fair on the surface, ideas about masculinity and
femininity still quietly determine who is seen as professional, confident, or capable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong>
Bailey, John, et al. \u201cAre Gay Men and Lesbians Discriminated Against When Applying for Jobs?
A Four-City, Internet-Based Field Experiment.\u201d Journal of Homosexuality, vol. 60, no. 6, 2013,
pp. 873\u201394, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/00918369.2013.774860
Labayandoy, M. E. L., & Erasga, D. S. (2024). Wielding Gay Men\u2019s Agency: Empirical
Evidence from HEIs in the Philippines. Journal of Homosexuality, 72(13), 2510\u20132533.
https:\/\/doi-org.proxy.lib.odu.edu\/10.1080\/00918369.2024.2433041
Lim, Angeline Cuifang, et al. \u201cTask Interdependence and the Discrimination of Gay Men and
Lesbians in the Workplace.\u201d Human Resource Management, vol. 57, no. 6, 2018, pp. 1385\u201397,
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/hrm.21912
Steffens, Melanie C., et al. \u201cDo Positive and Negative Stereotypes of Gay and Heterosexual Men
Affect Job-Related Impressions?\u201d Sex Roles, vol. 80, no. 9\u201310, 2019, pp. 548\u201364,
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11199-018-0963-z<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SOC 337 – Social Research Methods Hiring Discrimination Against Openly Gay Feminine Men in the WorkforceShauntell Gavino-CollinsDepartment of Sociology, Old Dominion UniversitySOC 337: Social Research MethodsDr. Jeehye KangOctober 05, 2025 Even though society has made progress toward LGBTQIA+ acceptance, discrimination inhiring still happens in subtle ways. One group that faces this strong bias is openly… <\/p>\n

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