What the study found
The study found that several groups earn significantly less than comparable cisgender men: nonbinary people assigned male at birth, transgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women. The abstract also reports an additional earnings penalty for nonbinary people assigned female at birth.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors present this as the first evidence from a large population census on earnings disparities for nonbinary and transgender people. The findings indicate that earnings differences exist across gender groups, and the authors note that differences in job sorting explain some of these disparities.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used restricted-access 2021 Canadian census data linked to tax records. They compared earnings for nonbinary people, transgender people, and cisgender people, using cisgender men as the reference group. Nonbinary people are individuals who do not exclusively identify as men or women, and transgender people are individuals whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth.
What worked and what didn't
The analysis found significantly lower earnings for nonbinary individuals assigned male at birth, transgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women relative to comparable cisgender men. Nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth experienced an additional earnings penalty. The abstract says job sorting explains some, but not all, of these disparities.
What to keep in mind
The summary provided here is limited to the abstract, so no other limitations are described. The findings are based on 2021 Canadian census data and linked tax records, so the scope is specific to that setting and time.
Key points
- The study reports earnings gaps between several gender groups and comparable cisgender men.
- Nonbinary individuals assigned female at birth face an additional earnings penalty.
- Differences in job sorting explain some of the earnings disparities.
- The evidence comes from restricted-access 2021 Canadian census data linked to tax records.
- The abstract defines nonbinary and transgender people for the study.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Earnings gaps found for nonbinary, transgender, and cisgender women
- Authors:
- C. Carpenter, Donn Feir, Krishna Pendakur, Casey Warman
- Institutions:
- Center for Economic and Policy Research, Dalhousie University, Simon Fraser University, Vanderbilt University
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-25
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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