Poor visibility: lesbians and poverty

Abstract

The media image of lesbians is increasingly that of an affluent group, the DINKies -double income no kids. Market surveys of the readership of glossy lesbian and gay lifestyle magazines have supported this view. It is relatively easy to pinpoint the methodological limitations of these surveys, yet the perception of affluence still remains. There has been very little academic research available to verify or refute these claims. However, recent studies suggest that lesbians, like other women, appear to be concentrated in low-paid jobs. In fact there is some evidence which indicates that lesbians may earn even less than heterosexual women. One such study attributes this difference to lesbians' over-representation in low-paid traditionally 'male' service and manual jobs. Indepth oral history interviews were used to explore twelve lesbians' experiences of and vulnerability to poverty. Some of these lesbians felt that their sexuality was one of the main reasons why they were poor, often because it had limited their employment options. Others highlighted the importance of factors such as health problems, raising children, and long periods of involvement in unpaid lesbian political or community work. This thesis outlines instances when lesbians have supported each other financially, whilst suggesting further initiatives that may ease the economic strain on poorer lesbians. It highlights the extent to which poverty isolates lesbians on low-incomes, calling into question the notion of any wider lesbian community which looks after its members. This research concludes by stressing those issues which need to be considered if lesbians are to contemplate a community response to the existence of lesbian poverty.