Gays and Lesbians: Minority Stress

Gays and Lesbians: Minority Stress

Gays and lesbians are an integral part of the workforce today but despite their growing number, they still exhibit symptoms of minority stress at workplace. In this paper, we study the reasons behind this persistent problem.

Even though there is greater acceptability of different lifestyles and sexual orientation, Yang (1999) found that a majority of Americans still subscribe to heterosexual beliefs. In other words, heterosexuality is still considered a norm while homosexuality is seen as an exception. This causes an uncomfortable situation for gays and lesbians who may be subjected to questions like "why aren't you married yet" or "are you seeing someone"; assuming that the person you are seeing would be a member of the opposite sex. These questions or anything connected with sexual orientation can cause discomfort for people whose sexual orientation is out of the norm.

One problem has been violence against gays and lesbians but that is not as serious in nature because of its low prevalence at workplace. The most major problems are subtle in nature and one is the heterosexist behavior of the people at work. Its usually taken for granted that one is heterosexual and any exception can cause stress. This is called minority stress.

In some studies, it has been concluded that gays and lesbians are ill adjusted at workplace. But other studies tend to refute these findings (e.g., Gonsiorek, 1991; Hooker, 1957) saying that the level of adjustment is the same for both groups. Illness found in gays and lesbians is not due to ill adjustment by virtue of their sexual orientation but is primarily due to the stress caused by being in a unique situation. The heterosexual majority can put the minority under stress. It makes a person vulnerable to psychological unease and this is not due to the sexual orientation itself but mainly due to belonging to a stigmatized group. This stigma attached to the group can act as a chronic stress factor for gays and lesbians at work. The stress of belonging to a stigmatized group is called minority stress (Brooks, 1981; Meyer, 1995).

Brooks (1981) defines minority stress as "a state intervening between the sequential antecedent stressors of culturally sanctioned, categorically ascribed inferior status, resultant prejudice and discrimination, the impact of these forces on the cognitive structure of the individual, and consequent readjustment or adaptational failure" (p. 84). In short any person who belongs to a group that is unacceptable to some extent is actually living under consistent stress and this can lead to psychological distress. The same is true for gays and lesbians who are often uncomfortable and distressed at workplace because of prevalent heterosexual behavior. The strain that is generated due to belonging to a stigmatized group causes serious psychological distress and unhappiness. Thus minority stress in gays and lesbians can be seen as the "totality of the minority person's experience in dominant culture" (Meyer, 1995, p. 39).

Meyer (1995) had conducted his study on gay men and had found that minority stress indeed existed. He had divided it into three parts: internalized homophobia, perceived stigma, and prejudice events. These components were identified as the sources of minority stress in gays. The first one deals with the views on homophobia that the person himself had internalized. He may not fully comprehend the gravity or lack of it, of the issue of homophobia but might exaggerate it leading to stress. The other one, is perceived stigma which is also the way the person himself perceives stigma attached to belonging to a stigmatized group. It is important to understand that very often we fail to understand how another person is viewing our situation but interpret it according to the biased information we have. This can lead to strain which could have been avoided had there been more complete knowledge. The third component is prejudice events which are the actual behavior of people that appears to favor heterosexuality.

The problems faced by gays and lesbians are multiplied or intensified because stress cannot be reduced in the way it can be by other minority groups. In other words, while other minority groups would find support from families, the same is not true for gays or lesbians who fail to find any support especially if they have been in the "closet."

Harper et al. 2003 writes: "Minority stress has particular manifestations for LGBT people who cope with pervasive oppression, discrimination, and marginalization by remaining closeted. But unlike other marginalized groups, LGBT people often cannot find support in their family and community of origin. While the "closet" is safe it has its own problems -- the increased stress of hiding. Hiding means that ordinary daily interactions become minefields; it requires constant vigilance to avoid mentioning partners, same-gender attractions or dating experiences, as well as other activities that involve a LGBT community."

The lack of support from social network has been cited as a major cause of deepening minority stress. It is found that gays and lesbians often fail to find real support because of heterosexual attitude of not only the heterosexual group but also the prevalent beliefs that have been internalized by the LGB themselves. Many gays and lesbians have been found to subscribe to heterosexist beliefs and thus turning to one's social network for support might only lead to further distress.

When it comes to workplace, the dynamics of relationships can be multidimensional. There are two ways a person would try to cope either he would not reveal his sexual orientation or he would. There are positive and negative repercussions to both choices. If a person reveals his identity, he can develop a better relationship with co-workers and the stress arising from secrecy can be minimized. However openness can lead to other fears such as fear of discrimination or of being fired.