In Bloom #11: Taking Pride

It's been a very busy period for the Bloom UK Senior Leadership Team as we've been reviewing all the new applications to join Bloom over the last few weeks. I must take this opportunity to thank Kelly Cuesta and Gina Miller who have been doing an amazing job and I cannot wait to welcome new as well as our renewed membership. Watch this space for an invite to hit your inbox!

Now, it would be remiss of me not to mention that June is Pride month. For anyone working in London it has been joyous to see the Pride flags flying around the city. Regent Street is looking particularly fabulous in the run up to the Pride Parade on 29th June.

Bloom Pride is one of our Inclusion Groups and we will be encouraging our new membership to engage with any or even many. I am a cisgendered woman so have no first hand experience of what being a member of the LGBTQI+ community means but I am grateful for the work that Bloom do to make us aware of how women of different intersections are impacted.

I would like to draw attention to our research from last year 'The Juggle' which addressed work-life balance. There are some fascinating and important points when looking through the intersectional lens of sexual orientation.

The Juggle findings

• Overall, queer (whilst not a word all LGBTQI+ women use to self-describe it is what we used within the report) women rate their current work-life balance higher than heterosexual women (54% versus 46% who rate it good or excellent)
• Queer women are slightly less likely to frequently feel overwhelmed by their workload, although 51% still do (compared to 54% of heterosexual women), and in fact, 69% of queer women say they’re satisfied with the time they have for personal time outside of work, compared to 62% of heterosexual women

However, it’s not all rosy;

• Compared to heterosexual women, queer women are slightly less satisfied with the current flexible working arrangements on offer, and they’re more likely to say they’re dissatisfied with the work-life balance policies and initiatives on offer from their employer (21% vs 16%).
• In fact, 15% say there’s a lack of inclusive policies or benefits for LGBTQ+ employees in their place of work. The workplace isn’t doing enough for queer women; 15% feel their work-life balance is impacted by their queer identity, and 15% have experienced microaggressions or stereotypes related to being LGBTQI+.
• With some queer women choosing to keep their sexuality private for fear of experiencing discrimination at work, and not being able to be their authentic selves, and with others facing microaggressions or bias, there’s a clear impact on the mental health of these women.
• They are more likely to regularly experience symptoms of stress, anxiety and burnout as a result of work-life imbalance, compared to heterosexual women; half (49%) experience this frequently / almost every day, versus two fifths (42%) of heterosexual women.

Not much discrimination personally, as I have seen others be treated differently, so I have kept it quiet. Just being a woman has caused me problems, so being queer is something I can keep to myself. Bloom member 2023.

There are clear differences in financial security too

• Two thirds of queer women describe themselves as financially stressed, compared to half (55%) of heterosexual women, just two fifths of this group describe their financial status as stable and secure, versus half (52%) of heterosexual women.
• One in five (20%) has skipped meals or cut back on essential spending to save money, compared to just 7% of heterosexual women.
• Over half (54%) of queer women would like their employer to offer LGBTQ+ inclusive diversity training

Happy Pride

I wish everyone a very Happy Pride Month and come 29th June a fabulous Parade. If you've not attended I'd urge you to as it is a truly wonderful, joyous occasion full of love, humanity and diversity. I was privileged to work with British Airways on their partnership of London Pride many years ago and it was an uplifting weekend surrounded by gorgeous, fun and happy people.

Until next time!

CJ ????