The first compiled data that targets the LGBTQIA+ community in STEM in Canada has been released, and it reveals how much work there is yet to be done.
Queering the Tech Ecosystem: Barriers and Opportunities Research Report, was conducted by Montreal-based organization QueerTech to fill what it says is “sparse and incomplete” research gaps in Canada, to help stakeholders “better understand hiring and employment experiences, challenges in attracting and retaining queer individuals across the industry, and how to approach and improve these vital, under informed processes.”
Queer employees in tech (and other industries) are facing numerous barriers in Canadian workplaces, the report found. For example, compared to heterosexual men, gay men experience wage penalties in the form of fewer hours worked, and lesbian women receive wage premiums – because they work more.