Intersectional Disparities in Formal Employment Among LGBTI+ People in Ecuador: Evidence From the 2022 Census

ABSTRACT This study examines intersectional disparities in access to formal employment among LGBTI+ people in Ecuador, using the first population‐level census microdata that include measures of sexual orientation and gender identity from the 2022 Population and Housing Census. We assess whether LGBTI+ individuals have lower odds of formal employment net of human capital and demographic characteristics, and whether this association varies by age and educational attainment. Binary logistic regression models show that LGBTI+ respondents have 7.5% lower odds of formal employment in the baseline specification. This disparity is not uniform: predicted differences narrow across age groups but become somewhat larger at higher levels of education. These patterns indicate that educational attainment alone is not associated with the elimination of formal employment disparities between LGBTI+ and non‐LGBTI+ individuals. While discrimination and institutional barriers represent plausible explanations discussed in prior literature, they are not directly measured in this study. The findings underscore the importance of considering intersecting dimensions of identity when examining economic inclusion and provide a nationally representative baseline for the development and monitoring of intersectional public policies addressing labor market disparities among LGBTI+ populations in Ecuador.