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

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.

摘要 跨性别群体在进入劳动力市场时面临多重障碍，这进一步对其健康状况造成负面影响。本项横断面研究分析了跨性别群体进入正规劳动力市场的相关影响因素。研究于2014年至2015年间，在巴西圣保罗州的七个直辖市招募受试者。采用逻辑回归模型估算正规就业与选定个体特征之间关联的比值比（odds ratios, OR）。本次研究共纳入672名个体，其中82.3%处于就业状态，13.1%未就业，4.6%未进入劳动力市场；在就业群体中，仅有16.7%身处正规劳动力市场。与正规就业独立相关的因素包括：跨性别男性身份、受教育年限达12年及以上、正在医疗机构接受性别过渡诊疗随访、拥有私人医疗保险，以及从未有过被捕记录。本研究结果揭示了跨性别群体进入劳动力市场需克服的部分障碍，并指出需针对跨性别群体制定专门公共政策，以降低辍学率、扩大综合医疗服务的可及性，进而降低其社会脆弱性。