How your sexual orientation can affect how much you earn

Despite recent strides toward equality, labor markets are often stratified on gender and racial grounds. Using Canadian Census data, Sean Waite and Nicole Denier find that these wage gaps extend to sexual minorities; even when employed in lucrative occupations, gay men and lesbians earn significantly less than straight men. They also find that while straight women’s pay is penalised, the presence of children and marriage have no effect on the earnings of either gay men or lesbians in conjugal relationships.