Name: Cyrus
Ethnicity: White
Gender: male
Sexuality: homosexual
Age: 48
SES: middle
Ethnicity: White
Gender: male
Sexuality: homosexual
Age: 48
SES: middle
Cyrus, a white gay man, lives with his partner Tom in Florida. Tom works as a journalist while Cyrus works as a doctor in a public hospital, both well-paying jobs that place them in a relatively comfortable situation in life. Florida has no laws that address discrimination in employment, nor does it recognise any forms of same-sex union.
What are the odds of Cyrus’s socio-economic situation?
Compared to married different-sex couples, Cyrus and Tom are more likely to be poor. Because they live in a state without employment nondiscrimination laws that cover sexuality and legal recognition of same-sex partnership, they also have a higher chance of being worse off than if they lived in a state with. With one in five gay men and one in four bisexual men living in poverty, they are, however, less likely to be poor than either heterosexual women, lesbians or bisexual women. In addition, as white men in a same-sex couple, Cyrus and Tom are the second most well-off among queer couples of different ethnicities, the most well-off being Asian American women in same-sex couples. The poverty rates of gay men like Cyrus and Tom are six times as low as those of black men in same sex-couples (Badgett, Durso & Schneebaum, 2013). What are the reasons for Cyrus’s situation?
The two main reasons for disparities between the socio-economic welfare of the heterosexual and queer communities are employment discrimination and marriage equality, as well as policies related to the latter. It is also significant, however, that Cyrus (and Tom) benefit from their identity as male and white even while simultaneously disadvantaged by being queer. Employment As elaborated on in the previous page, gay men earn unequal pay for equal work. Not only do Cyrus and Tom experience a sexuality-based wage gap, but they also face a chance of being slighted when hiring and promotion decisions are made, and being fired because of their sexuality. These factors combined, they lose an average of $15 500 a year in earnings (Burns, Graham &Menefee-Libey, 2012). Legal union By being unable to get married, Cyrus and Tom are denied a range of legal benefits that have a bearing on their livelihood. For example, the death of one of them would cost the surviving partner dearly, as they would have to pay property taxes for estates and items owned legally by the deceased partner, instead of jointly. In addition, they are not treated as an economic unit of a family, resulting in them having to file separate tax returns, obtain separate health, home and other insurance policies, all of which place a financial strain upon them. In 2007, the extra taxes same-sex partners would have to pay was an average of $1000 per year. (Burns, Graham & Menefee-Libey, 2012) One social security benefit of marriage makes the financial burden clear: for every monthly $100 in retirement benefits the couple is unable to claim, they would have to save about $24 000 to be in the same socio-economic situation as a different-sex couple at retirement. (Bowden, 2013) Over the course of their lives as partners, Cyrus and Tom will find their welfare threatened by such policies. What are the challenges Cyrus and his family will face?
Healthcare Workplace benefits offered by employers--in Cyrus’s case, the government, as he is a public sector worker--to employees are a form of worker compensation. As almost all government employees are covered by health insurance for them and their families, Cyrus and Tom should enjoy this healthcare benefit. However, since they are not (allowed to get) married, health insurance is limited only to Cyrus. If Tom is covered by his own employer, then this would not be much of a problem for them. If he is not, however, then the costly health insurance they would have to purchase from the individual market would place a further financial strain on their pockets, not to mention put their health at stake. Additionally, the lack of equal healthcare coverage means that the worker compensation Cyrus receives as an employee is less than what it should be, translating into unequal pay for equal work. (Burns, Graham & Menefee-Libey, 2012) How can Cyrus and his partner cope?
Some federal policies have been put into place and these can possibly help alleviate Cyrus's current situation. To look at these policies, click on the links below. |