EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF GENDER-DIVERSE YOUTH: A National Population-Based Study

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Education
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Limited research exists on educational outcomes for transgender and nonbinary youth.
• The High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 provides a unique, nationally representative dataset for this population.
• Minority stress and structural symbolic interactionist frameworks inform the study of gender identity and education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between gender identity and high school and college educational outcomes.
• To compare educational outcomes of gender-diverse youth (binary transgender, nonbinary, gender unsure) with cisgender youth.
• To investigate differences within the gender-diverse population, considering minority stress and social-structural factors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 data.
• Employed minority stress and structural symbolic interactionist theoretical frameworks.
• Analyzed educational outcomes (high school and college) by gender identity, controlling for school belonging, emotional distress, and social-structural location.

Main Results:

• Nonbinary youth did not exhibit educational disadvantage compared to cisgender youth.
• Binary transgender and gender-unsure youth showed educational disadvantages relative to cisgender youth.
• The educational disadvantage for gender-unsure youth persisted even after accounting for social-structural and social-psychological factors.

Conclusions:

• Educational outcomes differ significantly within the gender-diverse population.
• Nonbinary identity is not associated with educational disadvantage, unlike binary transgender and gender-unsure identities.
• Further research and targeted interventions are needed to address the educational disparities faced by gender-unsure youth.