Economic Insecurity Among Sexual Minority Men: Evidence from the 1991-2016 U.S. General Social Survey

Although a sizeable body of research has examined earnings differentials among sexual minority men, results remain mixed with studies presenting estimates of earnings disparities ranging from non-significant to as large as 32%. In this study, we ask: First, why do existing studies find few consistent results regarding sexual minority men’s labor market outcomes? Second, in assessing disparities in the most recent 1991-2016 U.S. GSS data, do sexual minority men still experience disadvantages in the labor market? Third, do any apparent disadvantages extend to economic insecurity more broadly? We find that the large earnings penalties found for gay men in previous studies were likely attributable to their combination with bisexual men. In our results, gay and bisexual men earned 8% and 13% less than heterosexual men, respectively, but bisexual men experienced greater economic insecurity than heterosexual men. In addition to addressing mixed findings across previous studies, this research contributes to the literature on inequality, economic insecurity, and, potentially, employment discrimination.