with Marc Folch, June 28, 2024. More information: here. For a social media summary of the report's main findings: here.

Ensuring equality for LGBTI+ individuals is a human rights imperative, but it also makes a lot of economic sense. Inclusion enables LGBTI+ individuals to achieve their full employment and labour productivity potential, benefitting not only their economic and social well-being, but also society as a whole. Yet, robust evidence supporting the economic case for greater LGBTI+ equality is still scarce due to challenges in accurately measuring the size and life situation of the LGBTI+ population. This report bridges this gap by using a unique set of microdata from the United States. The report begins with an overview of the share of US adults identifying as LGBTI+, their geographic distribution and key demographics. It then evaluates the extent to which LGBTI+ Americans face discrimination, assessing how this population fares, including in the labour market. Finally, utilising the OECD long-term model, the report quantifies the potential increase in GDP resulting from closing the unexplained LGBTI+ gaps in employment and labour productivity. The findings highlight significant economic gains, although they capture only a portion of the potential benefits. Notably, the broader societal impacts, such as the advancement of women's empowerment through the disruption of heteronormative standards, are not quantified.

with Stéphane Carcillo and Pedro Vergara Merino, June 14, 2023 (also available in French). More information : here. For a social media summary of the report's main findings: here.

Anti-LGBTI+ harassment in schools is a worldwide problem. Several OECD countries support civil society organisations working directly with students to raise awareness about LGBTI+ inclusion in classroom sessions lasting a few hours. However, a rigorous impact assessment has never been conducted on any of these interventions so it is not known if they contribute to reducing anti-LGBTI+ harassment - and therefore whether they should be scaled up, given that they are currently only available in a handful of volunteer secondary schools. This document presents the results of a groundbreaking randomised control trial conducted in the Paris region of France from 2018 to 2022 with over 10 000 students aged 13-18 to measure the impact of sessions by SOS homophobie, the main French association in the fight against anti-LGBTI+ discrimination and violence. The results reveal it is possible to sustainably improve students' receptiveness to LGBTI+ inclusion during two hours of structured but totally open discussion. In doing so, our conclusions contribute to refute two common misconceptions: (i) no, these sessions are not too short to have any impact; and (ii) no, they are not counterproductive just because homophobic and transphobic opinions can be voiced. While it is true that negative group dynamics can emerge, they are neither systematic nor powerful enough to overshadow the positive effect of SOS homophobie's intervention.

February 15, 2023. More information: here. For a social media summary of the report's main findings: here. The report was launched in the presence of Sven Lehmann, then Germany's Federal Government Commissioner for the Acceptance of Sexual and Gender Diversity. HTML link: here.

This report is the first country review undertaken as part of the OECD work on LGBTI+ inclusion. It explores legal and policy progress towards LGBTI+ equality in Germany at both the national and subnational levels, and identifies good practices. The report first investigates the life situation of LGBTI+ Germans. The report then examines whether laws critical to achieving LGBTI+ equality have been passed and how LGBTI+ equality in Germany could be further improved through legislation. Finally, beyond laws, the report focuses on policy achievements towards LGBTI+ equality, by distinguishing between remedial policies, aimed at enforcing antidiscrimination and anti-violence laws, and preventive policies, aimed at fostering a culture of equal treatment of LGBTI+ individuals at school, in the workplace, and in healthcare.

June 24, 2020 (also available in French and in German). More information: here. For a social media summary of the report's main findings: here.

Ensuring that LGBTI people – i.e. lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex individuals – can live as who they are without being discriminated against or attacked is a concern worldwide. Discrimination against LGBTI people remains pervasive, while its cost is massive. It lowers investment in human capital due to bullying at school. It also reduces economic output by excluding LGBTI talents from the labour market and impairing their mental health, hence their productivity. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the extent to which laws in OECD countries ensure equal treatment of LGBTI people, and of the complementary policies that could help foster LGBTI inclusion. The report first identifies the legislative and regulatory frameworks in the areas of civil rights, protection against discrimination and violence, as well as health that are critical for the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities. The report then explores whether these laws are in force in OECD countries and examines the margin for further improvement. Finally, the report investigates the broader policy measures that should accompany LGBTI-inclusive laws in order to strengthen the inclusion of LGBTI people.

March 27, 2019 (also available in French). More information: here. For a social media summary of the report's main findings: here.

This report, the ninth edition of the biennial OECD overview of social indicators, addresses the growing demand for quantitative evidence on social well-being and its trends. This year’s edition presents 25 indicators, several of which are new, and includes data for 36 OECD member countries and, where available, key partners (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa) and other G20 countries (Argentina and Saudi Arabia).

The report features a special chapter on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people which provides a comprehensive overview of data and evidence on their size and socio-economic situation in OECD countries. It confirms that anti-LGBT discrimination hampers the economic prospects and mental health of millions, and highlights best practices to create more inclusive environments for sexual and gender minorities.

For more information, see The LGBT challenge: How to better include sexual and gender minorities? 

June 22, 2017. More information: here.

This paper presents an overview of the socio-economic situation of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people (LGBTI), primarily in OECD countries. After investigating the size of this population, the paper zooms in on attitudes toward LGBTI, LGBTI rights and perceived discrimination among LGBTI. It goes on to discuss the empirical strategies used to identify whether LGBTI fare worse than non-LGBTI and provides a systematic review of survey-based and experimental evidence on such an “LGBTI penalty” and its causes. This exploration points to substantial hurdles for LGBTI. In particular, (i) low legal recognition of same-sex couples hampers partnership stability and children’s well-being; (ii) LGBTI are bullied at school and suffer academically; (iii) LGBTI face hiring and wage discrimination; (iv) LGBTI show higher rates of physical and mental health problems, in particular due to social rejection. The paper concludes by reviewing anti-discrimination policies and defining critical avenues for future research.