Homosexuality Association on Career Paths in Different
Occupations in the Philippine Setting
Gandionco, Cloa, Santos, Sales, Tan
I. Introduction/Background
Today, homosexuality is still
frowned upon in other societies such as some religious cults protesting that
homosexuality is an abomination and it is a sin because it is not what God
planned for the humankind. However, homosexuality is gradually being accepted
on many societies such as the Philippines. Though criticizing homosexuality
itself may be clichéd, it is important to research on how homosexuals perform
their tasks in regards to their environment, their fellow workmates and how
their choice of sexuality affects both the pre-results and outcome of their
work. It is through this study that we are able to understand how homosexuals
affect our society, how they choose their career paths, and lastly how their
sexuality affects their work and workplace.
II. Review of Related Literature
According to Alan Ellis, choosing a career path is
complicated whether you are gay or not. It is important that we take into
account our satisfaction in the job that we choose and how it defines us. But most
of the time, our sexual orientation affects the way others perceive us and how
we define what we want. Ellis and Vasseur discovered that people who
discriminate against homosexuals tend to focus on their negative traits during
job interviews. This is a major reason why homosexuals before have a tendency
to choose careers that is socially dictated. They’re afraid their employer and
workmates might discriminate them based on their sexual orientation.
When people perceive us a certain way, it affects
their interaction with us. They only consider the qualities that support their
idea about an individual and ignore those that contradict with it. This is called
selective perception and in the case of gay men, the society sees them as the loud,
feminine and artistic men. In a way, this limits the function of homosexuals in
our society because of the way they are perceived.
Stereotyping is another problem that homosexuals have;
it is the “negative exaggerated and fixed beliefs” about them that traps them
in the society’s idea of them. The society categorizes the homosexuals as a
group that is defined by their shared characteristics. It confines them
therefore to that idea, and the homosexuals sometimes have no choice but to
base their decisions on these stereotypes. People say that “stereotyping:
belief creates reality”, which is true because it becomes the norms that people
don’t bother to wonder or ask about.
According to a research regarding sexual orientation
and career decision-making, there are a lot of factors that is being taken into
consideration. These factors may be personal preference, personal experiences
of discrimination, and even external factors such as LGBT role models. These
factors contribute in the decision-making of a homosexual individual, they
weigh their options and how it will affect them, positively and negatively.
The context of local culture still needs to be
accounted when it comes to gender identity issues. Acceptance of homosexuality
of a certain culture may differ from others. It depends on this culture’s
traditions, and these traditions may change over time. Looking at the
Philippine context, we can see that there is change with regards to our
acceptance with the LGBT community. This means that the LGBT community is freer
to choose the job that they want, not just because society forces it to them,
but because it is their passion.
III.
Research Questions
1.
How does your sexuality affect your occupation?
2.
How did you begin your career?
3.
Are you discriminated in your workplace?
IV. Theory/Perspective Used
For this research, we used both Micro- and Macro-level
theories. We used the micro-level theories to relate how the individuals that
we interviewed were affected. While the macro-level theories were used to
analyze how our culture affects how the society reacts to homosexuals.
In our Philippine society culture constraints or
limits our perspective on homosexuals. The Philippine culture is heavily based
on religion which in turn dictates our values and beliefs against
homosexuality. In any society, discrimination is a norm and it is morally wrong
to be or associated with homosexuals. In the Philippines we practice social
control wherein our society attempts to regulate people’s thoughts about the
matter at hand. In a way, these homosexuals have a certain degree of freedom
but are limited. We can also see inequality between homosexuals and
heterosexuals, on which the heterosexuals have the upper hand in our society.
We can also see how education and opportunities differ between the homosexuals
and the heterosexuals. The distinction between social classes can also affect
how homosexuals are perceived in our society.
Moreover, some homosexuals present themselves in a
certain way that builds their personality as well as how others would view
them. Their image in our society is based on how people see them. We can also
identify a dramaturgy occurring wherein homosexuals’ front stage is being all
gay about everything when in fact their backstage is being miserable because of
the constraint pressure given to them by society. Our social construction of
reality has left homosexuals to meet certain expectations that the society
predicts for them.
Using the Structural Functionalism perspective, homosexuals
are discriminated for our society to function. Social Conflict on the other
hand, deals with the inequalities between heterosexuals and homosexuals that
are present in the society. Even though it lessened significantly over the past
few years, we can still see that there is conflict present. One of the most
important perspectives used is Interactionism wherein our perspective on
homosexuals affects how our society interacts with them. For this research, interactionism
is used when evaluating how people around them judge and act around the LGBTs,
whether they discriminate them or not.
V. Research Design
We decided to use personal
interviews as our research method. We scheduled appointments to ensure that the
interview will be taken seriously. Each of these interviews were done
separately to avoid bias and inconsistency among the respondents. The
interviews were done at each respondent's workplace (salon, office, shop).
The questions were constructed to
fit the different professions and status of the three respondents. All of them
were willing to take part in the study. The first respondent is from a low-end
parlor; the second is an office employee of a company; and the third respondent
is a shoe store supervisor. The three respondents give us an idea of how
homosexuals are being treated in different parts of the Philippine society
depending on their career choice, within and outside their respective
workplaces.
VI. Findings
A. Sexuality and Occupation
Based on the data, two out of our four respondents said that it affects
their occupation in a positive way. The last one said that sexuality has no
effect because sexuality plays no role in how good a person is at their job.
For the two respondents who said that it is to their advantage and that it is a
positive effect on their occupation, they backed their answers up by saying
that being a homosexual they have quirky personalities that most clients
appreciate. However one respondent explained how his community openly
discriminates him.
They say that being a homosexual
appeals to their customers and can play a big part in selling a product and
convincing people to purchase that product. This was applicable to the two
respondents who belong to a higher class among the respondents. One respondent
who also sells for a living often receive comments about his sexuality in his
workplace. This respondent works in a much poorer society as a sari-sari store tindero.
B.
Beginning of Career
Based on the data, each person had a
different start to their career. One respondent began his/her career by
starting out as a shampoo girl at the age of 17 because it was an easy and the
only job he/she could find. And at the age of 18, he/she started cutting hair.
Out of no other option, he/she took a job at a salon and stayed there until the
current time.
Another one started out getting a
job he/she really wanted. His/her career started out fruitful where he/she
learned to hone his/her social skills, and interacting with different
personalities. Although, he/she could have taken a job at his/her family
business, he/she decided to go his/her own way to succeed in what his/her
passion is.
The other respondent chose a job
that brought out highlighted his/her best characteristics. This respondent
loved to talk and convince people about what she thought or felt. Because of
this trait, he/she applied for a job as a shop supervisor.
The last respondent wasn’t able to
find a decent job, he was openly gay in his community and people did not take
him seriously. He decided to just settle for a low paying job as a tindera in his neighbor’s sari-sari
store.
C.
Discrimination in Workplace
Based on the given data, the two
respondents belonging to the lower half in terms of social class were
discriminated in a way and were not free to choose the profession that they
really desire. The other two from the upper half had decent jobs and were respected
in their workplace. In the interviews, it was often mentioned that in order for
people to respect you, you should respect yourselves. One respondent even said
that if you were good at your job, there is no room for discrimination however
this was not applicable to all of the respondents.
VII. Analysis
Homosexuals in general are lesbians,
gays, bisexuals and transgendered. These individuals are usually subject to
employment discrimination, lower career expectations, take selfless jobs, make
career choices on work value as compared to heterosexual individuals. Using
data from the 3 respondents as well as our related literature, the researchers
have found that these homosexuals expect lower wages. Due to all this, most
homosexuals take jobs that are more compassionate and humanitarian.
Based on the findings from this
research we see that this is not the case anymore. All three respondents from
different workplaces have embraced their homsexuality and searched for a job
that they loved. Instead of picking a job that society would have them believe
is the right job for them, they went for something that they were passionate
about. In effect, their homosexuality was actually an advantage in all
workplaces. Being it be in a parlor, a shoe store, or and office, they
projected a joy for what they were doing and became the best at their
profession. Regardless of their sexuality, they excelled in their jobs.
Although there is still some
discrimination towards homosexuals, We can see that in the Philippine context,
homosexuals are accepted just as much as heterosexual people. Sexuality should
not be a factor in the capability of a person to do a job.
Analyzing the topic in a Sociological manner, we can
explain this topic using the Major Paradigms in Social Science. These are
Social Functionalism, Social Conflict Feminism, and Symbolic Interactionism.
Social Functionalism answers the question; what keeps society together. In this
case, society is accepting already to homosexuality but of course, it is
evident that there is still discrimination in our society. They are
discriminated because when they pick an occupation to pursue, they settle for
jobs which society thinks is applicable for homosexuals. They are also
discriminated because their background also affects the occupation, which they
pursue.. Social Conflict answers the question; who benefits from a given
arrangement. In this case, there is inequality between the heterosexuals and
the homosexuals in the society. The heterosexuals are less discriminated and
therefore get more opportunities than the homosexuals. The homosexuals with
more opportunities are part of the upper class. Feminism also affects this
topic because it answers the question; how does gender affect social
arrangements.
Considering that this study is mainly about how the
homosexuality of some people affects social arrangements, this question is
vital to our study. The answer to this question is that to some extent, their
homosexuality affects their work because let’s take for example homosexuals who
work in salons. It is common knowledge that a lot of the employees in salons
are homosexuals because society perceives them as people who are good at
cutting hair. Lastly, Social Interactionism answers the question; how do people
interpret their world. We perceive homosexuals as famous in doing some
professions like working in salons. Therefore, people’s perception of the salon
industry for example, is that homosexuals are the best in the salon industry.
In an ideal world, the sexuality of a person must not affect the way people
perceive who is good at what profession. Instead, everyone should be given an
equal chance to excel in whatever field they choose. However, the problem here
is when the homosexuals are discriminated when employers do not give
homosexuals equal chances to excel in whatever field of work they want to
pursue.
VIII. Conclusion
Based on the given data, it can be
concluded that the Philippine norms in society have changed throughout time. It
has evolved enough to let both homosexuals and heterosexuals co-exist with
harmony although today conflicts are still present, compared from before it has
definitely improved. Our group has also found that a homosexual’s career also
depends on the social class that they were born into. Education and
opportunities of the homosexuals are based on their social class.
In the past, most homosexuals would choose
an occupation that would be altruistic of value as to not be under
discrimination. Today in our country, it is evident to see that this is not the
case for all the homosexuals. Some homosexuals choose their jobs based on what
their passions are just like any other heterosexual individual while others
have no choice on their profession like being a hairstylist or a tindera. In effect, homosexuality is not
always a factor for choosing a career path but rather an advantage for many. Regardless
of one’s sexuality, people can succeed in any occupation if they put their mind
and determination to it. Although the Philippine society has been more
accepting of homosexuals, it is still evident to see the presence of
discrimination on homosexuality.
To
quote one of our respondents, “Through much proven worth and through the
quality of work we have executed in our respective line of work. Coupled with the individual desire to succeed
and be a survival species, that have been experienced in previous years, been
discriminated, looked down at and keep in the dark. All these said, had in turned, been the
driving force for our current outstanding and future achievements.”
IX. Bibliography
Ellis,
Alan, and Riggle, Ellen. Sexual Identity
on the Job: Issues and Services. The Haworth Press, Inc, 1996. Print.
Williams,
Rebecca, et al. "Impact of Sexual
Orientation on Career Management Skills and Career Progression".
Skills Development Scotland. 2011. Web Journal.
Radford,
John. Gender and Choice in Education and
Occupation. Routledge Publishing. 1998. Print.
Bain,
Christian. Laboring for Rights: Union and
Sexual Diversity Across Nations. Temple University. 1999. Print.
Herek,
Gregory M. "Stigma, Prejudice, and
Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men." Homosexuality: Research Implications
for Public Policy. 1991. Journal.
X. Attachments
QUESTIONAIRE
Name
of Interviewee: _____________________
1.
How long have you been in this profession?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2.
How did you begin your career?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.
Why did you choose this job?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.
Are you happy with your job?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Was this occupation your first choice?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6.
If not, what were your other choices?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
How does your sexuality affect your occupation?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8.
Is it to your advantage?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9.
Do you think homosexuals are good at this profession?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10.
Why yes or no?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11.
How do other people perceive homosexuals in this line of work?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12.
Are you discriminated in your workplace?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
13.
How about outside the workplace?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment