QC FYI: Gay Men Have Lower Personal Incomes
Wow... is the Euro really this gay? If so, we want to get jobs in Europe and demand to be paid in 600 Euro marks every payday. Hopefully the weiners aren't edited out in Europe. Or maybe this bill is only used in the gay parts of Europe, like Fbuttphlugg and Mannsylvania.
In what seems to be the first study of differing economics based on sexual orientation, a new study in the Canadian Journal of Economics found that gay men have 12 percent lower personal incomes and lesbians have 15 percent higher personal incomes than heterosexual men and women.
You can read the article, but sadly it sheds little light on the methodology or analysis. For example, we wonder what they mean by "personal incomes" (cash made from pole dancing and blowjobs? the amount in the bank after paying for porn?). Also, did all the participants in the study identify themselves as gay or did they just ask their co-workers "Who's the gayest person in this office?" And does this indicate that gays are being slighted in their paychecks or does it just mean that lesbians drive a harder bargain?
What do you think?
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OH! I totally do not believe that! At least not in the DC area that's for sure.
I think this is complete bullshit. Most gay couples are DINK, inherently the highest earning couples. What about the net income of straight guys who have to pay for their kids' education, food, etc? I don't understand it.
Maybe it's just my group of friends, but I find the opposite to be true. Gay men, as a general rule, have above average median incomes. Not to brag, but I make almost double my regions median income...and I am one of the "poorer" ones in my "click".
Methodology is key as gays and lesbians have historically garnered higher incomes.
The comments above are not indicative of all homosexuals. There are many who live below the poverty level and many with children from a time in their lives when they were closeted for one reason or another. Then we have those who choose to have children.
Although some may be DINK, they are not legally married and, therefore cannot truly be considered a double income household. Also, many have only household accounts to cover shared expenses while maintaining their separate accounts.
Some gay people, I've seen, tend to spend and live outside their means to make it appear as though they earn higher incomes.
This is true of whatever sexual orientation. The comments that were stated by the other posters were exactly what Religious Right organizations used to catapault their venom when opposed to equal rights for gays and lesbians and deemed them as "special rights".
Coming from OH and dealing with it first hand, I think to pigeon hole gays as those who do better than most financially is a dangerous and slippery road to go down.
The only thing term I've heard used repeatedly when referencing sexual orientation is "disposable income." So while this study may have some validity, and while the average gay person doesn't have children, the amount of money saved or spent on things other than childcare may make it seem as if we did earn more money.
In my country, Panama, there is no way of knowing whether this is true or not. Most gays live "within the closet", but it seems that those who do not, and are career professionals, apparently have more to spend on..... no families to take care of and so on.
But, my impression is that those that leave at peace with their sexual orientation are able to advance better in their financial careers.
mawbinatl is right on. There has always been the THEORY that gays have more disposable income. More studies like this one would be needed to support or disprove the theory.