About the Project.
While Canada has made important advances in the recognition of LGBTQ+ rights, we still know very little about LGBTQ+ employment experiences. A growing body of international research suggests that LGBTQ+ people continue to have poorer labour market outcomes and more negative workplace experiences than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. However, previous studies have often focused on gay and lesbian professional white-collar workers who work in large metropolitan areas. The experiences of Canadian LGBTQ+ people working in resource and manufacturing -based regions, (including those who work in these highly unionized sectors and those who work in supporting sectors), have not been taken into account. Existing research has also overlooked the role of unions, focusing instead on how employers and supervisors can create organizational cultures conducive to the wellbeing and productivity of LGBTQ+ workers.
The proposed research aims to:
- Provide baseline quantitative and qualitative knowledge about LGBTQ+ employment in northern and southwestern Ontario, regions characterized by resource and manufacturing.
- Explore how regional industrial cultures influence the experiences of LGBTQ+ workers in two mid-sized Canadian cities, Sudbury and Windsor, and their surrounding regions.
- Examine whether worker representation promotes inclusion and mitigates adverse employment experiences for LGBTQ+ persons.
- Identify strategies and develop tools for unions, worker centres, LGBTQ+ community members to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in union and non-union workplaces.