Research on labor conditions and mental health of
Center for Gender and Occupational Health Rights of Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health
LEGAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK FOR QUEER WORKERS
Translated by Se-Eun Kim
Background and purpose
Sexual minorities are estimated to account for approximately 4.5-7% of the population, but they are not particularly visible in South Korea. Although various studies on health inequalities of sexual minorities are being conducted worldwide, there is a lack of studies focusing on the work environment and mental health in Korea. Therefore, this study explored the work environment and mental health of sexual minority workers including suggested intervention measures.
Methods
The study was conducted through a combination of surveys and interviews from March 2024 to March 2025. The survey was conducted online for four weeks from July to August 2024, and asked questions about basic information, general information about the work environment, specific work environments including sexual minority-friendly atmospheres and experiences of discrimination, and mental health outcome variables.
Statistical analysis was conducted to identify the work environment and health status issues through responses to each survey item. The frequency of responses by variable of the respondents’ basic personal information was confirmed, and the frequency of mental health outcome variables (depressive symptoms, suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, sleep disorders) by group was confirmed. The age-standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) was calculated for mental health outcome variables, workplace violence, work-life balance, and employment instability, and the extent to which they were reported in the sexual minority group compared to the general population group. The standardized prevalence ratio for work-life balance, employment instability, and workplace violence was calculated by adjusting for age using the general worker group as the control group. In order to explore risk factors that adversely affect mental health, logistic regression analysis was performed to obtain the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.
The interview survey was conducted on a total of 19 people from April to September 2024. A semi-structured interview questionnaire was developed to conduct in-depth interviews. In addition to current work, questions were asked about life experiences and contexts such as identity, experiences of discrimination, sense of safety, relationships with colleagues, relationships with family, and support systems, as well as experiences at previous jobs and job search and job change experiences. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the content of the in-depth interviews of each case. The meaning of each transcript was distinguished according to the classified theme, and the context was derived by joint analysis through discussion among all researchers.
Results
Among the 720 people who participated in this survey, 177 (25%) showed symptoms of depression, which was significantly higher than the 4.9% rate of depression in the general population. Compared to the general population, the rate of depression was 4.3 times higher, suicidal thoughts 3.6 times higher, suicide attempts 4.5 times higher, and sleep disorders 3.2 times higher (age-standardized prevalence rate), indicating that their mental health indicators were worse than the general population. The rate of workplace violence experienced was higher than that of the general population. Approximately 31% of sexual minorities in this study conducted in South Korea experienced workplace violence (at least one of verbal abuse, unwanted sexual attention, threats, and insulting behavior) in the past month. Compared to the general population workers in the domestic work environment survey data, the sexual minority workers in this survey experienced about 23 times more unwanted sexual attention in the past month, 28 times more sexual harassment in the past year, and 72 times more bullying/harassment. When evaluating the relationship between factors inside and outside the workplace and depressive symptoms through regression analysis, the risk of depressive symptoms was 2-4 times higher in cases of job stress items such as lack of social support, poor workplace culture, and work-family imbalance than in cases without such experiences. The risk of depressive symptoms was about 3 times higher in cases of experiencing workplace violence than in cases of not experiencing it. In addition, the risk of depressive symptoms was about 1.6 times higher in cases of giving up on applying for a job related to identity than in cases of not having such experiences. Depressive symptoms were higher in groups with high internalized hatred than in groups without such hatred. In addition, depressive symptoms were higher in cases where the original family and current family were unsupportive than in cases where they were supportive.
The job search experiences of the study participants varied. They looked for jobs where they would not be discriminated against due to their sexual minority identity as much as possible. However, they sometimes forced themselves into a gender binary, or gave up on job search because they had to list their military service status. Job search was especially difficult or discriminatory for transgender and non-binary people. There were also many cases where they had to change jobs against their will. Many cases involved changing jobs due to unfair experiences, unstable employment status, and other issues, and there were also cases where they changed jobs due to a ‘heterosexual-centered organizational culture.’
The research participants experienced various forms of discrimination in the workplace. They experienced discrimination and hatred against sexual minority identities, as well as discrimination against women or employment status. All the discrimination experienced by individuals was directly or indirectly connected, affecting the research participants’ choice of response strategies or further frustrating them. In the case of organizational culture, some research participants were able to quickly recognize discrimination existing within the workplace culture, but it was difficult for them to actively deal with it at the individual level for improvement. On the other hand, other participants also accepted their sexual minority identities more positively, and had self-efficacy and self-esteem as workers.
Sexual minorities worry about when, how, to whom, and in what way to reveal their identity in order to exist in the workplace. In many cases, coming out is not done at all at the workplace, or is only done to some sexual minority-friendly colleagues. For transgender people who find it difficult to hide their identity, coming out is characterized by preemptively revealing their gender and trying to persuade those around them.
Among the experiences of the research participants, social safety has a significant impact on the individual’s cognition, emotion, and behavior. Chronic stress can be reinforced by the fact that the workplace and society are dangerous to minorities, which can lead to chronic vigilance. However, if they receive a safety signal, they may let down their vigilance more than before. Among the experiences of the participants in this study, there were only a very small number of safety signals. This suggests that social signals in the direction of safety should be presented more actively for the mental health of sexual minorities.
Conclusion and Discussion
This study confirmed that sexual minorities experience mental health crises at a higher frequency than the general population. This is due to lack of social support in the workplace, discrimination and hatred, and workplace violence. In addition to identity, other life conditions surrounding sexual minorities (such as unstable employment status, supportive or hateful colleagues and family, etc.) interact with factors directly related to identity, and can have a more negative effect on mental health or a more protective effect. In particular, the factors by which sexual minority workers experience discrimination in the workplace are not limited to sexual minority identity, but also include gender, employment type, years of service, and education level, and each status affects minority identity and responses to discrimination.
Workplace culture is closely intertwined with discrimination against sexual minorities, and in a hierarchical and sexist culture, sexual minorities are more likely to be targets of discrimination and hatred. Effective education is needed to prevent discrimination against minorities. It is also necessary to clearly state that the workplace does not allow discrimination in order to convey the message that it is a safer space for sexual minorities. Employment rules or collective agreements can serve as institutional frameworks. In addition, accessibility to medical transition is important (although the desired range may vary from person to person) to resolve gender dysphoria, a major factor in the mental health of non-cisgender sexual minorities. If an employee chooses a medical transition, a comprehensive system is needed to support this and to help them adapt to the organization after returning to work.
According to this survey, 30% of all respondents answered that there is a labor union at their workplace. However, only 5.3% answered yes to the question, “Is there a labor union that is friendly to sexual minorities?” In the absence of a company or organization-wide agenda to address the day-to-day discrimination against sexual minority workers, individual workers are becoming more isolated. The research team emphasizes labor unions as a key entity that can help organizational culture, in-house benefits system improvement, and practical education to integrate in the workplace. Labor unions are a key space that can create a workplace where workers can work safely and healthily. It is also important that sexual minority workers who raise issues are not isolated, but are involved in being part of solutions.
As for improving laws and systems, it is necessary to enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. There are many cases of compound discrimination, that is, discrimination that occurs when two or more discriminatory factors occur. In order to regulate compound discrimination, it is also necessary to enact a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. Non-cisgender sexual minorities are likely to be excluded from the hiring stage. The practice of requesting unnecessary gender information should be improved. In addition, social accessibility to medical gender correction should be strengthened.
The process of creating an equal culture is impossible with only the unilateral efforts of some members or one side. We can only move toward an equal culture when everyone becomes an ally to each other and feels a sense of responsibility to change the workplace environment as a member of the community. Sexual minority workers and their allies should be able to participate in the process of change and lead it. The existence of co-workers who affirm the identities of sexual minorities can be a great support in the workplace and can also be a force that can advance institutional improvements in the workplace and society.
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