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  4. September 2024
  5. A Review of the Economics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Journal of Economic Literature

ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)

A Review of the Economics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

  • M. V. Lee Badgett
  • Christopher S. Carpenter
  • Maxine J. Lee
  • Dario Sansone
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 62, no. 3, September 2024
(pp. 948–94)
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Abstract

This article reviews the growing literature on the economics of sexual orientation and gender identity, a field that did not exist thirty years ago. We summarize, evaluate, and synthesize the literature on LGBTQ+ peoples' economic lives and livelihoods across key decision points in the life course: human capital investments, family formation and dissolution, and labor market activities. We identify common themes and patterns in the literature and outline important areas for further inquiry.

Citation

Badgett, M. V. Lee, Christopher S. Carpenter, Maxine J. Lee, and Dario Sansone. 2024. "A Review of the Economics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity." Journal of Economic Literature, 62 (3): 948–94. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20231668

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D13 Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation
  • I26 Returns to Education
  • I31 General Welfare; Well-Being
  • J12 Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity