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The Out Now Consulting 2008 Gay Times, The Pink Paper and Diva Reader Survey results

The reality of the workplace

Friday, 11 January 2008

The latter months of 2007 saw the readers of Gay Times, Pink Paper and DIVA surveyed by the publisher Millivres Prowler Group in partnership with Out Now Consulting.

The Out Now Consulting 2008 Gay Times, The Pink Paper and Diva Reader Survey is not just another lifestyle questionnaire, but an independent look into lesbian and gay lives, experiences and social attitudes. It is also the first UK insight into Equality & Diversity in the workplace. Out Now Consulting and Millivres wanted to know the reality of life as a gay or lesbian worker. And those taking part - 1224 readers and web users of Gay Times, The Pink Paper and Diva of whom 61% where male, 38.5% were female and 0.5% intersexed responded with some interesting results.

It appears that choosing an employer with equality and diversity polices in place is gaining in significance for lesbians and gay men with 61.4% stressing it’s importance and a further 26% saying it was quite important to them. However only 8% said their employer belonged to the Stonewall Diversity Champions program with an alarming 49% saying they didn’t know.

Kim Watson, Media Director of MPG, explained why this result is concerning. “Given the importance placed by this sample on an employer having robust Diversity policies, this result suggests strongly that although Stonewall have great take up by employers and good industry awareness for their index, the wider gay and lesbian community are not as aware as they could or should be of who is a Diversity Champion.”

When it came to treatment of lesbians and gay men in the workplace 29% reported that treatment was unfair ranging from smaller issues to being treated very badly because of their sexuality.

Ian Johnson, CEO of Out Now commented on the research saying “ground level” attitudinal change in the UK work place is needed. “There is still a worrying gap between corporate policies and real life in the workplace, as experienced on a daily basis by many UK gay men and lesbians. UK employers need to do much more to make sure the existence of policies actually translates down into real day-to-day equality at work for gays and lesbians.”

www.OutNowconsulting.com

www.millivres.co.uk