Systemic discrimination refers to the prejudice against a particular group that is built into institutions, laws, policies, customs, beliefs, social norms, and behaviors within society. This type of discrimination affects every aspect of an individual's life, including their career planning, vocational identity, and professional self-confidence.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus (+) (LGBTQ+) individuals often face challenges when it comes to finding employment opportunities because they are denied equal rights and protections under the law. In addition, some workplaces may require them to hide their true identities to avoid being fired or harassed. As a result, LGBTQ+ individuals feel uncomfortable expressing themselves freely and cannot confidently pursue their dream careers.
Career planning involves setting goals, researching job markets, developing skills, networking, and creating strategies for achieving one's desired profession. When systemic discrimination exists, LGBTQ+ people experience difficulties in accessing resources needed for successful career development, such as mentorship programs, internships, training courses, or financial aid. They also encounter negative stereotypes about their sexuality and gender, making it hard to secure good jobs with fair compensation. Moreover, they might not have access to role models who look like them, which makes it difficult to envision themselves in specific positions or industries. Consequently, LGBTQ+ individuals find it challenging to identify their ideal professions and create realistic plans to achieve them.
Vocational identity refers to how people perceive themselves based on their education, skills, interests, experiences, values, and beliefs in relation to their occupations. Systemic discrimination can impact this aspect of an individual's life by creating barriers that prevent them from fully embracing their unique qualities and talents.
LGBTQ+ individuals may be forced to compromise their personalities to fit into traditional norms at work, leading to feelings of inauthenticity and low self-esteem. This situation leads to burnout, stress, and dissatisfaction with their current roles, making it harder to develop a positive vocational identity.
Some companies do not allow expressing sexual orientation or gender expression in the workplace, which creates additional pressure and anxiety for LGBTQ+ workers.
Professional self-confidence is essential when pursuing careers because it provides individuals with a sense of purpose, passion, and direction.
Systemic discrimination can undermine this feeling by limiting opportunities for advancement and recognition. When LGBTQ+ individuals face prejudice, they experience feelings of inferiority, shame, and doubt about their abilities, ultimately affecting their confidence levels.
They might lack support systems such as mentors or colleagues who understand and validate their experiences, making it hard to build resilience and resume building. As a result, LGBTQ+ individuals may struggle to believe in themselves enough to take risks, pursue leadership positions, or negotiate higher salaries.
Systemic discrimination influences career planning, vocational identity, and professional self-confidence by denying equal rights and protections under the law, limiting access to resources needed for successful career development, creating barriers that prevent embracing unique qualities and talents, and limiting opportunities for advancement and recognition. These factors contribute to difficulties in identifying ideal professions, creating realistic plans to achieve them, and building a positive vocational identity. To mitigate these challenges, organizations should implement policies that promote diversity and inclusion while providing training programs for managers on cultural sensitivity and unconscious bias. Moreover, educational institutions must offer courses on workplace diversity and inclusion, empowering students to overcome discriminatory barriers.
LGBTQ+ people need role models who reflect their backgrounds and encourage them to embrace their true selves.
How does systemic discrimination influence career planning, vocational identity, and professional self-confidence in LGBTQ+ individuals?
Systemic discrimination against sexual minorities has been found to negatively affect career planning, vocational identity, and professional self-confidence in various ways, especially for those who are openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other non-heterosexual identities (Hunter et al. , 2019).