Sexual Orientation and Gender Typicality of the Occupation in Young Adulthood

Previous research has shown that sexual minorities are more likely than heterosexuals to work in occupations that are atypical for their genders. This study seeks to extend the literature by examining the association between sexual orientation and gender typicality at the occupational-title level. The analysis focuses on the young adult population and uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Consistent with previous research, people who report same-sex orientation and both-sex orientation tend to have more gender-atypical occupations than those who report other sex orientation. This difference is observed regardless of the sexuality measure used (attraction, dating relationships, sexual contact, or identity), although sexual minorities’ tendency to hold gender-atypical occupations is more pronounced for men than women and for people who report same-sex orientation than those who report both-sex orientation. Contrary to previous arguments and common belief, gender-typed behaviors in adolescence account very little for the difference. Instead, educational qualifications, marital status, and parental status help explain the difference. Much of the gap remains unexplained, highlighting the need to examine the role of sexuality discrimination in future research.