Washington, D.C. — The average LGBTQI+ American is more likely to need time off work to tend to their own health or to serve as a caregiver for a loved one, compared with non-LGBTQI+ adults, according to new data from the Center for American Progress.
The latest findings from CAP’s biennial LGBTQI+ Community Survey weigh the state of America’s LGBTQI+ community in 2024, including data on health care access, employment, housing, and more. This analysis sheds light on the unique struggles LGBTQI+ Americans face in balancing work, health, and caregiving.
Key findings from the data include:
- In the past year, 29 percent of LGBTQI+ adults took time off work for personal health-related reasons, compared with 18 percent of non-LGBTQI+ adults.
- LGBTQI+ adults are 50 percent more likely than non-LGBTQI+ adults to have reported taking time off work in the past year to care for an elderly parent.
- Similarly, 1 in 7 LGBTQI+ adults (14 percent) took time off work to care for a child or spouse with serious health issues, compared with 9 percent of non-LGBTQI+ adults.
- LGBTQI+ adults are more likely to work in jobs that are unlikely to provide access to paid leave.
- Fifty percent of LGBTQI+ adults have relied on chosen family for support in response to a health-related need, compared with 33 percent of non-LGBTQI+ adults.
The analysis includes data from a nationally representative group of 3,360 people above the age of 18, 1,703 of whom identify as LGBTQI+. It was conducted in partnership with nonpartisan research group NORC at the University of Chicago.
“Every day, LGBTQI+ Americans balance caring for themselves and their families with the need to earn a living,” said Molly Weston Williamson, senior fellow at CAP and author of the column. “But the lack of guaranteed paid leave, especially in the face of persistent workplace and health discrimination, makes this balancing act uniquely difficult. LGBTQI+ workers—like all workers—deserve the paid leave they need to heal, to care, and to thrive.”
Read the column: “LGBTQI+ People Are Working, Healing, and Caring in a Country Without Guaranteed Paid Leave” by Molly Weston Williamson
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Mishka Espey at [email protected].