Heteroprofessionalism: the power of the gender/sex ninary in the workplace

Morgenroth, T.; Kirby, T.A.; Toorn, J. van der (2024)

Article / Letter to editor

LGBTQ + people continue to face bias and discrimination in the workplace. In this article, we focus on one subtle yet insidious manifestation of such bias: heteroprofessionalism. In workplace contexts, professionalism is generally encouraged. However, what is considered professional is subjective and often shaped by those with high status identities such as cis-heterosexuality. LGBTQ + identities are thus labelled unprofessional and inappropriate for the workplace context. We discuss (1) how heteroprofessionalism can be viewed as a manifestation of assimilation ideology that is employed to reinforce the gender/sex binary and (2) the negative consequences heteroprofessionalism has for members of the LGBTQ + community. We discuss future research directions and end with recommendations for combatting heteroprofessionalism and its harmful consequences.

• All authors: Morgenroth, T.; Kirby, T.A.; Toorn, J. van der
• Date: 2024-12-02
• Journal: Current Opinion in Psychology
• Volume: 60
• Pages: 101908
• Advanced Publication: Yes
• DOI: doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2024.101908