There’s More to Gender Than “Man” and “Woman”

Research shows that people who don’t conform to the gender binary are often mistreated by their colleagues, their managers, or HR. Some get fired, demoted, or shut out of the labor market altogether. If fewer people thought gender was restricted to “man” and “woman,” there’d be less discrimination, and we could all express ourselves however we want to.

Lily Zheng talks about what she’s learned from studying the workplace experiences of people who identify as trans, nonbinary, genderfluid, butch, or gender-diverse in some other way. She also points out how the gender binary can restrict cis people. Then she gives advice to managers and peers on how to be respectful and supportive of gender-diverse colleagues.

Our HBR reading list:

• Gender Ambiguity in the Workplace: Transgender and Gender-Diverse Discrimination, by Alison Ash Fogarty and Lily Zheng
• “Managing Your Professional Identity During a Gender Change,” by Dorie Clark
• “Research: Why Employer Support Is So Important for Transgender Employees,” by Christian Thoroughgood and Katina Sawyer
• “What to Do When Your Colleague Comes Out as Transgender,” by Dorie Clark
• “How Men Get Penalized for Straying from Masculine Norms,” by David M. Mayer

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org