EG’s LGBTQ+ in Real Estate survey: the results

The headline figures in EG’s LGBTQ+ in Real Estate survey, carried out in association with Freehold, make for positive reading. We had a record number of responses, more than double the figure in 2023, in part boosted by an increase in the number of allies taking part, and a new high of 84% of LGBTQ+ respondents being out in the workplace.

An impressive 81.5% of respondents, most of whom identify as LGBTQ+, would recommend the real estate industry to other members of the LGBTQ+ community – up from 73% last year. Also setting new benchmarks, almost 90% believe the firm they work for provides a safe place for LGBTQ+ staff to come out, while 88% would recommend their employer to others in the LGBTQ+ community.

But delve into the detail – in particular the individual, anonymous comments left by those taking part – and it becomes clear the experiences of LGBTQ+ people working in real estate continue to vary wildly, and that continued commitment is necessary to address the issues that still persist. Only 36% of respondents believe enough is being done within the real estate industry to promote inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community (albeit up from roughly 24% in 2023). In addition, while lower than the 42% recorded in 2023, some 29% of LGBTQ+ respondents report having experienced or witnessed discrimination or microaggressions at work in the past year.

“The positive take from the survey this year is that we continue to move in the right direction – more people than ever before feel comfortable being out at work and almost 90% of respondents believe their firm provides a safe place for them to be out,” said Kelly Canterford, co-chair of Freehold and director of Tigrou Consulting. “In the absence of any benchmarking, the EG survey serves as a valuable tool to measure how people from the LGBTQ+ community working in the built environment feel. We need ongoing collaboration from across the industry to continue the progress we have made.”

Out in the workplace

When EG first ran this survey in 2017, the percentage of LGBTQ+ respondents saying they were out at work stood at 70%. The numbers rose to almost 80% in 2019 but, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, tumbled to a low of 64% in 2021. This year, however, almost 84% reported being out in their workplace. For the first time, we asked respondents when they came out at work, with the majority (61%) doing so early in their real estate careers, 27.5% mid-career, and 11.5% at senior level.

However, these positive figures are tempered by lower levels of comfort among the LGBTQ+ community with being out to clients. This year, only 46% said they felt comfortable being out to all clients, and 43% to some – that compares with 52% and 37% last year. The percentage reporting they were not comfortable being out to clients did fall slightly from 11% to a little over 10%.

Of those not out in the workplace, 82.5% said they would like to be, with “negative reaction of clients” the single highest reason given for not being so – and international clients particularly cited in the comments. As one respondent put it: “I’d like to be out to all and not worry what clients/ colleagues/business partners from Middle East, China, etc will think, especially considering I’m based in London.” Another said: “Most of the clients I was dealing with were straight, cis, white middle-aged men who proudly eschewed political correctness so I felt uncomfortable coming out to them. I also worked at an international firm where colleagues from the Middle East would make homophobic comments.”

Others referred to real estate clients as still an “old men’s club”, the pervasion of a “‘lads/banter’ atmosphere”, and “name calling, bullying, discrimination”.

Other factors cited in not being out included “lack of visible role models” and “it isn’t anyone’s business” – with some respondents pointing out in the comments that “nothing is stopping [them]”. Other responses included “My sexuality doesn’t define who I am entirely”; “I don’t need people to praise whom I sleep with or date… I want to be recognised for my merits and respected for my achievements”; and “I don’t like being defined by my sexuality, I want to be defined for my career accomplishments”.

Areas for improvement

In each survey, transactional businesses have fared poorly in comparison with other areas of real estate when it comes to fostering an inclusive working environment. Indeed, whereas seven years ago, 51.4% named transactions as the least inclusive area to work in for LGBTQ+ professionals in the real estate sector, the number is now barely different: 51.5%. When it comes to the most inclusive, almost 30% named consultancy, ahead of law and business management. However, in the comments, numerous respondents expressed the view that there is no difference across the various professional areas.

Overall, 64% of respondents still do not believe enough is being done across real estate to promote inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community, with popular steps that could improve this including more role models in the sector, more visible allies and better leadership.

Many commenters believe the industry still lacks role models at senior levels, though the situation is better than a decade ago, and some would like to hear more from business leaders outside of Pride month. One respondent said they work in an organisation with more than 10,000 people but “couldn’t name a single LGBTQ+-identifying leader in that organisation”. Perhaps unsurprisingly, another suggested “make our existing role models more visible”, while another cited the chief executive of Apple as the standard to strive for, saying: “We need Tim Cook-type of role models in our industry.”

Cook was the first chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to publicly come out as gay. He did so in 2014.

Many others stressed the importance of genuine allyship, with comments including: “Seeing heterosexual people actively calling out homophobic behaviour is a key way to build a more inclusive culture.”

That is vital when it comes to further reducing the number of LGBTQ+ professionals who still suffer discrimination and microaggressions in the workplace, which remains close to 30%. Comments revealed how these can range from “mis-gendering, sarcastic comments” to microagressions that “come from a misunderstanding rather than a malicious place”.

One respondent referred to hearing “comments questioning or minimising the transphobia of JK Rowling”, while another offered a few examples from their workplace: “‘You’re going to Eurovision? That’s so fucking stereotypical’ ‘What’s your go-to song at karaoke? Is it ‘It’s Raining Men?’’ ‘Oh god we’ll need a whole other session to have a debate about pronouns’.”

Another example that sadly may be all-too-familiar among readers illustrated the importance of speaking up – and the challenges involved in directly confronting discrimination: “As a group, some industry acquaintances encountered a trans woman in a bar at an event. The comments one man made about that woman were disgusting – he thought he was hilarious. I raised the issue with management afterwards, but no one felt able to shut the man up at the time as he absolutely would have doubled down and behaved worse. So we all didn’t react and after laughing at himself for 10 minutes he stopped. I do wish I had spoken up, but I am absolutely certain it would have made the situation worse – he’s a very arrogant 65-year-old white cis man with a ‘you can’t touch me’ attitude.”

Several respondents echo the view that not enough action is taken within their workplace when “things are called out”, and one expressed the feeling that there “seems to be a hierarchy of gender/race/disability then LGBTQ+”. Another flipped the standard terminology on its axis and offered: “Perhaps more needs to be done to discourage exclusion than to promote inclusion.”

Call to arms

The industry can quite rightly take heart from the overall results of the latest survey, and the many areas in which the real estate sector is seemingly performing better than ever in providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ employees. However, the finer details make it clear that this is no time for anyone rest on their laurels, believing the job is done. The positive steps forward that have been taken should only serve as encouragement to work harder, shout louder and continue on the arc towards true inclusivity for all. As one commenter put it, neatly encapsulating the feelings of many: “Until everyone feels fully included at all times, we can do more.”