Work‐Life Dilemmas Emerging From Lesbian Executives' Narratives

This qualitative study was an in-depth exploration of lesbian executives' sexual identity management experiences. These women navigated an invisible identity in a privileged, visible organizational position, yet their lesbian identity often made them vulnerable to discrimination and remained a subtext that permeated their relationships with others. Findings revealed that the need for authenticity was a driving force in managing their sexual identity disclosure decisions. This study provides career development professionals with a clear description of lesbian executives' workplace sexual identity management experiences so they may help their clients find their own voices and unique ways of managing their disclosure decisions. Lesbian executives navigated their professional worlds within a number of dimensions, including their gender and sexual identity. The experiences of lesbian women were distinct from those of gay men because of sexism, which privileged men over women in society. The experiences of lesbian women were also distinct from those of heterosexual women because of heterosexism, by which society assumed heterosexuality as the societal norm . Some have argued that openly revealing one's identity as a lesbian in the workplace has become easier in recent years and less of a concern than it had been in the past. Despite such optimism, employment discrimination based on sexual identity remained legal in 33 states (Reed, 2007). Some type of harassment or discrimination in the workplace had been reported by nearly two fifths (39%) of lesbian women and gay men (Lambda Legal & Deloitte Financial Services, 2005). Given that current protective legislation efforts were focused on gaining workplace equality for gay and lesbian individuals, Ragins, Singh, and Cornwell (2007) suggested the workplace has become the frontline in the confluence of policy and interaction. Discrimination and harassment may continue to be significant factors for lesbian executives in organizations that either implicitly or explicitly support a heterosexist social norm. Although nondiscrimination policies regarding sexual identity have made some progress in protecting lower and midlevel workers, Raeburn (2004) observed that executives at die top of a corporation's hierarchy are more visible than arc other employees, and their private lives often become vulnerable to scrutiny. Executives privileged to hold the top position in any type of organization, whether profit or nonprofit, serve in their role at the pleasure of the board of directors; tJiey are hired, fired, and evaluated by either a personnel subcommittee or the entire board. An executive who discloses a lesbian identity becomes vulnerable to the judgment of others. Thus, whereas most workers must perform to die satisfaction of one superior, executives must satisfy a group of people who often hold disparate beliefs and interests. As a result, executives find themselves juggling numerous kinds of relationships and experiences with the board and with the staff. Deciding whether to disclose one's sexual identity may present a professional dilemma that stems from the lesbian executive's fear of jeopardizing relationships with coworkers and job security (Brenner, Lyons, & Fassinger, 2010, Ragins et al., 2007). Whereas concealing sexual identity may inhibit the lesbian executive's organizational effectiveness by limiting social interactions, disclosing sexual identity may prove disruptive to the social harmony of the work group. According to Ragins (20O8), the risk of involuntary disclosure and the lack of control over the disclosure were significant considerations in the management of the disclosure of sexual identity in the workplace. Consequently, a dilemma arose when the woman balanced the complexity between presenting an authentic self and preserving the security of an executive position. Griffin (1992) described sexual identity management as a range of strategies for disclosure decisions contingent on an assessment of the risk involved to reveal or conceal sexual identity. …