Elisa de Weerd, a PhD candidate in health economics at Erasmus School of Economics, recently gave an interview in Erasmus Magazine about the lack of (scientific) literature on the LGBTQ+ community. She is trying to change this through her research on transgender individuals and employment.
In the interview, de Weerd draws a connection between her paper published in AEA Papers and Proceedings and the book Lentekind, the debut novel by Harmen van Liemt, which she chose as a source of inspiration. ‘His family is close. In this story, you see how a comfortable home can help someone struggling with their sexuality. This is also confirmed by scientific literature. Family ties are important for someone who is uncertain about their gender identity.’
Research into gender identity
De Weerd specialises in research on the careers of transgender people, a relatively new field of study. Previously, data mostly focused on sexual orientation. Although there can be overlaps between trends in sexual orientation and gender identity, important differences also exist. For example, transgender individuals often take concrete steps during their transition, such as changing their name, undergoing hormone treatment, or having surgery. Such clear changes generally do not occur among people attracted to the same sex.
For her research, she extensively uses data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). This data source includes information on when someone begins medical transition and when the gender marker on their passport is changed. The data shows that people transitioning from male to female generally experience a decrease in income. In contrast, those transitioning from female to male show no clear change in income. She does not yet have a clear explanation for this, although this trend aligns with findings from research in the United States.
She wants to use her research to show that economics is about more than just money, it is primarily about making trade-offs.
