Money, Myths, and Change: The Economic Lives of Lesbians and Gay MenHow does the standard of living of gay men and lesbians compare with that of heterosexuals? Do homosexuals make financial and family decisions differently? Why are the professional lives of gay men and lesbians dissimilar from those of heterosexuals? Or do they even differ? Have gay people benefited from the recent economic boom? Or have public policies denied them their fair share? Money, Myths, and Change provides new answers to these complex questions. This is the first comprehensive work to explore the economic lives of gays and lesbians in the United States. M. V. Lee Badgett weaves through and debunks common stereotypes about gay privilege, income, and consumer behavior. Studying the ends and means of gay life from an economic perspective, she disproves the assumption that gay men and lesbians are more affluent than heterosexuals, that they inspire discrimination when they come out of the closet, that they consume more conspicuously, that they enjoy a more self-indulgent, even hedonistic lifestyle. Badgett gets to the heart of these misconceptions through an analysis of the crucial issues that affect the livelihood of gay men and lesbians: discrimination in the workplace, denial of health care benefits to domestic partners and children, lack of access to legal institutions such as marriage, the corporate wooing of gay consumer dollars, and the use of gay economic clout to inspire social and political change. Both timely and readable, Money, Myths, and Change stands as a much-needed corrective to the assumptions that inhibit gay economic equality. It is a definitive work that sheds new light on just what it means to be gay or lesbian in the United States. |
Contents
Meeting the Myths | 1 |
Chapter 2 The Economic Penalty for Being Gay | 20 |
Chapter 3 Costs of the Closet | 51 |
Benets | 74 |
Chapter 5 Queer Conspicuous Consumption | 102 |
Chapter 6 A Family Resemblance | 133 |
Public Policy and the Workplace | 171 |
Other editions - View all
Money, Myths, and Change: The Economic Lives of Lesbians and Gay Men M.V. Lee Badgett Limited preview - 2003 |
Money, Myths, and Change: The Economic Lives of Lesbians and Gay Men M.V. Lee Badgett No preview available - 2001 |
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action activism activists adults allow analysis argue behavior bisexual chapter child coming companies compared concerns considered consumer context costs coworkers create cultural decisions disclosure discrimination discussion domestic partner benefits earnings economic economists effect efforts employers employment equality evidence example exist factors gay and lesbian gay employees gay men gender goals groups heterosexual homosexuality household important income increase individuals influence instance institutions involved issues kind labor larger laws least lesbian and gay less lives male marriage married means norms offer organizations parents particular percent political position possible potential practices pressure promote questions raising recognize relationships relatively require responsibilities result role same-sex couples sexual orientation similar social strategy suggests survey tion United women workers workplace