Work and health issues of the transgender population: factors associated with entering the labor market in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Silva, Maria Aparecida da; Luppi, Carla Gianna; Veras, Maria Amélia de Sousa Mascena

doi:10.1590/1413-81232020255.33082019

Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Brasil

Español English

sumário « anterior atual seguinte »

Sumário

ARTICLE • Ciênc. saúde coletiva 25 (5) • May 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232020255.33082019 copy

Work and health issues of the transgender population: factors associated with entering the labor market in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

The transgender population encounters several barriers in entering the labor market, whichfurther impacts their health. In this cross-sectional study, the factors associated with their insertion in the formal job market were analyzed. Participants were recruited in seven municipalities of the state of São Paulo between 2014 and 2015. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of the association between formal insertion and selected characteristics. We included 672 individuals, of which 82.3% were working, 13.1% were not employed, and 4.6% were not in the labor market. Among those working, only 16.7% were in the formal labor market. Factors independently associated with formal employment were: being atrans man, having 12 years or more of education, being under follow-up for gender transition procedures in the healthcare services, having private health insurance, and never having been arrested. Our results highlightpart of the obstacles the transgender population has toovercome to enter the labor market, and point to the need for public policies specifically designed for the transgender population aiming to reduce school dropout and expand access to comprehensive health care, thereby reducing theirvulnerability.

Key words
Transgender people; Labor market; Stigma; Discrimination

Variables	Total
Occupation Condition
Working	553	82.3
Not working	88	13.1
Outside the labor market	31	4.6
Position in occupation
Self-employed	362	53.9
Employee	183	27.2
Employer	4	0.6
Intern	2	0.3
Not working	119	17.7
Ignored	2	0.3
Occupation according to CBO
Service workers, salespeople in shops and markets *	410	61.0
Administrative service workers	39	5.8
Science and arts professionals	19	2.8
Mid-level technicians	17	2.5
Industrial goods and service production workers	15	2.2
Chemical goods and service production workers	6	0.9
Senior members of the government, leaders of public interest organizations	3	0.4
Maintenance and repair workers	3	0.4
Agricultural sector	1	0.1
Not working	119	17.7
Ignored	40	6.0
Activity duration in years
Less than two years	67	10.0
Two to three years	94	14.0
Over three years	340	50.6
Not working	119	17.7
Ignored	52	7.7
Formal labor market
No	459	68.3
Yes	94	14.0
Not working	119	17.7
Sex Workers
No	280	41.7
Yes	273	40.6
Not working	119	17.7
Total	672	100.0

Variables	Total
Variables	N	%
Present city of residence
São Paulo	336	50.0
Campinas	104	15.4
Grande SP	56	8.3
Interior	115	17.1
Coast	58	8.6
Ignored	3	0.45
Gender identity
Trans men	47	6.9
Trans woman / travestis	608	90.4
Ignored	17	2.5
Age group in years
16 to 24	178	26.4
25 to 39	339	50.4
40 and over	155	23.0
Race/skin color
White	253	37.6
Brown	289	43.0
Black	101	15.0
Yellow	13	1,90
Native	13	1,93
Not answered	3	0.4
Years of education
8 or less	234	34.8
9 to 11	329	48.9
12 or more	109	16.2
Type of home
Provisional residence	254	37.8
Own house / rented apartment	407	60.5
Ignored	11	1.6
Change of name in any document
No	613	91.2
Yes	58	8.6
Ignored	1	0.1
Has technical / vocational training or course
Yes	382	56.8
No	290	43.1
Monthly income in minimum wages (MW)
Less than one	186	27.6
1 to 2	187	27.8
2 to 3	124	18.4
Above 3	128	19.0
Ignored	47	6.9
Contributes to the INSS
No	412	61.3
Yes	256	38.1
Ignored	4	0.6
Have you ever been arrested in your life
No	501	74.5
Yes	171	25.4
Type of medical follow-up
Is not on follow up	274	40.7
Follow-up for sexually transmitted disease	217	32.2
Follow-up for sexual transition process	88	13.1
Others	93	13.8
Have medical insurance / private health insurance
No	560	83.3
Yes	110	16.3
Ignored	2	0.3
Total	672	100,0

Variables	Formal job		Total		Odds Ratio (OR)	95%CI	p
	Yes		Total
	N	%	N	%
Gender identity
Transsexual woman/Travestis	69	13,9	496	100	1	-
Transsexual man	19	59,4	32	100	9,04	4.27 - 19.14	<0.000
Years of studies
Less than or equal to 8	6	3,2	187	100	1	-
9 to 11	50	19,4	258	100	7,25	3.03 - 17.30	<0.000
12 years and over	32	38,6	83	100	18,92	7.50 - 47.76
Age group in years
16 to 24	16	11,9	134	100	1	-
25 to 39	53	19	279	100	1,72	0.94 - 3.15	0,074
40 and more	19	16,5	115	100	1,45	0.71 - 2.99	0,302
Did you ever move from your birth town
Yes	61	14,6	419	100	1	-
No	27	24,8	109	100	1,93	1.15 - 3.22	0,012
Change of name in any document
No	76	15,8	482	100	1	-
Yes	12	26,1	46	100	1,88	0.93 - 3.80	0,077
Have you had technical / vocational training or course
No	26	11,5	226	100	1	-
Yes	62	20,5	302	100	1,98	1.21 - 3.25	0,007
Have you ever felt discriminated
Yes	71	15,6	455	100	1	-
No	17	23,3	73	100	1,64	0.90 - 2.98	0,105
Have you ever been arrested in your life
Yes	5	4	126	100	1	-
No	83	20,6	402	100	6,29	2.49 - 15.90	0
Are you under medical follow-up
No	25	10,8	232	100	1	-
Yes	63	21,3	296	100	2,23	1.358 - 3.689	0.002
Are you under follow-up for the gender transition process
No	59	12,7	465	100	1	-
Yes	29	46	63	100	5,86	3.333 - 10.333	<0.000
Do you have private health insurance
No	52	11,8	440	100	1	-
Yes	36	40,9	88	100	5,16	3.089 - 8.638	<0.00
Total	88	16,7	528	100	-	-

Variables	Crude odds ratio (OR)	Adjusted odds ratio (OR)	Adjusted 95%CI	p^* * P adjusted.
Gender identity
Transsexual woman/travestis	1,00	1,00	-	0,020
Transsexual man	9,04	2,77	1.172 6.546
Years of studies
8 or less	1,00	1,00	-
9 to 11	7,25	4,91	1.997 12.0845	0,001
12 and more	18,92	7,50	2.794 20.158	<0,000
Under medical follow up
No	1,00	1,00	-
Yes	2,23	1,87	1.015 3.447	0,044
Under follow-up for gender transition process
No	1,00	1,00	-
Yes	5,86	2,14	1.058 4.364	0,034
Has private health insurance
No	1,00	1,00	-	<0,000
Yes	5,16	2,86	1.588 5.179
Has ever been arrested
Yes	1,00	1,00	-	0,015
No	6,29	3,36	1.268 8.950

ABRASCO - Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva Av. Brasil, 4036 - sala 700 Manguinhos, 21040-361 Rio de Janeiro RJ - Brazil, Tel.: +55 21 3882-9153 / 3882-9151 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
E-mail: cienciasaudecoletiva@fiocruz.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Collaborations

MA Silva and CG Luppi worked on the data analysis and interpretation, writing of the manuscript, and approval of the version to be published. MASM Veras worked on the conception, design, dataanalysis and interpretation, writing of the manuscript, and approval of the version to be published.