Examining the Impact of Stigmatized Social Identities and LGBT Status on Employee Job Satisfaction in the Federal Workforce

How does the influence of stigmatized social identities affect worker job satisfaction in the federal workforce? This study seeks to compare perceptions of job satisfaction between minorities with stigmatized visible social identities and LGBT employees with stigmatized invisible social identities. Minorities and women face discrimination and prejudice in the workforce due to social stigma related to their visible social identities. Individuals that identify as LGBT face similar forms of discrimination and stigma, however, disclosure of these invisible social identities represent a personal choice for many employees in the workplace. This research will examine potential differences in self-reported job satisfaction and perceptions of diversity management, and skill utilization among visible minorities and LGBT federal workers with stigmatized social identities. This cross-sectional study will conduct quantitative analysis of the U.S. Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) LGBT data release 2015, to measure the influence of stigmatized social identities on job satisfaction in the federal workforce. Utilizing structural equation modeling, I will examine reported levels of job satisfaction for workers that represent stigmatized social identity groups. This research seeks to explain differences in the affective job satisfaction of federal workers, and present recommendations for managing social stigma within federal workplace