Overview

Decades of research dedicated to understanding how gender, sexuality and sexual characteristics intersect with our work lives have given us tools to address bias, discrimination and abuse, to create more respectful, safer and ultimately healthier workplaces for all, and to improve the balance between multiple life roles. Indeed, the topics, methodologies and applications of research on gender, sexual orientation and sexual characteristics at work have become increasingly sophisticated.

Yet, many challenges remain. In academia, there is a stronger need for multidisciplinary and intersectional approaches. In the community, actors want to enhance their responsiveness and to have a strategic approach to gender, sexual orientation and sexual characteristics at work. Across both sectors, more efforts are required to build bridges and guarantee that what we learn from each other is effectively translated into better theories, methods and applications.

The similarities and differences in work experiences between social categories based on gender identity (e.g., men, nonbinary, women, transgender), sexual orientation (e.g., asexual, bisexual, gay, heterosexual, lesbian, queer and/or questioning) and sexual characteristics (e.g., intersex) are important research topics that can help improve the lives of all people.

In 2022, we want submissions to be related to the conference theme: Accelerating Gender and Sexuality Inclusion at Work. Your research may directly address the question of what works to accelerate gender and sexuality inclusion at work, or it can inform how to develop strategies with this purpose.

Also, the conference will be hosted both face to face and online. This opens the possibility for international presenters and delegates to participate. We strongly encourage researchers from all over the world and in particular from the Asia Pacific region to submit their research and to join us online on the day of the conference.

This conference is underpinned by the following values and methodological positions:

Respect

We want to create a respectful and professional space for members of the community to have well-informed, robust discussions of topics, theories, methods and their applications.

Engagement

Research on gender, sexual orientation and sexual characteristics at work is enhanced when done with the community and for the community. We want to showcase our capacity to work with the public and private sectors (both for-profit and not-for-profit) and with members of the community in general.

Intersectionality

Gender, sexual orientation and sexual characteristics at work intersect with other life dimensions (e.g., age, ethnicity, languages, disability status, location, SES, occupation), sometimes in paradoxical ways. Intersectional life experiences are inherently valuable, and we want to understand them.

Crossdisciplinarity

We are researching complex and interesting topics. Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity are the present and future of scientific research. It is only through working collaboratively that we can impact change.