Social Networks and Social Welfare Disparities Among Sexual Minorities

Currently there is a deficit in economics literature on the labor market outcomes of sexual minorities. Previous studies have provided evidence that homosexual and bisexual individuals endure worse mental and physical health, and lesbian women excluded, face wage penalties associated with their identity. There are numerous studies on the association between social capital and quality of health, as well as showing correlation between health and economic status. This thesis attempts to build evidence of a linkage between the social capital, health, and labor market outcomes of sexual minorities. The results of this paper imply that excluding social capital measures from a model will lead to overestimates on the economic effects of identifying as a sexual minority.