- Legal Jobs
- Legal Articles
- Legal Staff
- Legal Staff Career Advice
- Legal Staff Job Descriptions
- Domestic partner benefits growing in popularity
Support PDF,DOC,DOCX,TXT,XLS,WPD,HTM,HTML fils up to 5MB
Domestic partner benefits growing in popularity
by Michael Kinsman
( 6 votes, average: 4.1 out of 5)
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
The HRC, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes gay, lesbian and transgender equality, said that 253 of the nation's largest public companies offer domestic partner benefits.
"This isn't a Democratic or a Republican issue," says HRC President Joe Solmonese. "It's an issue of basic fairness."
The reality of today's workplace is that people of every sexual orientation should have the right to do the same work, work collaboratively, or give orders without any fear that they will be subjected to any rules other than the ones that apply across the board.
But, until Levi Strauss began offering domestic partner benefits 14 years ago, none of the other large public companies was as forward-thinking.
Now, a majority do it, including two-thirds of the Fortune 500 companies based in California.
The HRC also reported that 430 of the Fortune 500 companies have policies banning discrimination based on sexual orientation, up from 294 companies five years ago.
Although 17 states prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, having an in-house anti-discrimination policy is invaluable, said Joyce Marieb, executive director of the Greater San Diego Business Association.
"There are vast differences when a company has a policy against discrimination," says Marieb, whose organization supports gay, lesbian and transgender issues and has about 800 members. "When you put your policy in writing, it helps to create a culture that accepts gays more easily.
"When you don't have a policy, it's more difficult to make sure you don't have discrimination occurring in some parts of the company."
While no one seems to know how common domestic partner benefits may be in smaller and private companies, Marieb says the HRC study is very telling.
"The tone set by the major corporations filters down to other companies," she says. "Like with any benefit, smaller companies will start to adopt these policies as they attempt to remain competitive with bigger companies in the recruitment of the best employees."
Clearly, the Fortune 500 companies that offer domestic partner benefits have recognized it is an advantage in recruitment.
Their policies suggest that they acknowledge the contributions that gay and lesbian employees can make, and they want to be able to attract the best workers available, regardless of sexual orientation.
© Copley News Service
Article Category
Featured Testimonials
The service has been very helpful in my job search, particularly the search functionality. The website was joy to use.
Cindy Diaz
Facts
LawCrossing Fact #8: LawCrossing is the only job board that seeks out jobs instead of just waiting for them to come to it.
Success Stories
- Stephen Kobza Tinley Park, IL
Why You'll Love LawCrossing
Legal Job Market Updates
Stay Ahead. Get your weekly career digest giving you:
- the latest legal jobs
- legal employment news and trends
- career advice and more
Questions?
- What is LawCrossing?
- Who Else Is Ready to Never Have to Worry About Recessions and the Legal Job Market Again?
- Why Job Boards Are Evil!
- Blow Away Your Competition with LawCrossing
- Get More Employers to Respond to Your Applications and Hire You
- Why You Are Not Aware of 95% of the Jobs Out There
- Why LawCrossing's Marketing Problem is Good for You
- Why It is Important to See Every Job Site There is
- Private versus Public Job Boards
- Why You Need to Manage Your Job Search in One Place
- Who Else Wants Their Phone Ringing Off the Hook With Quality Job Interviews?
- Do Not Use Another Job Board Until You Read This

Already have access? Click here to login | Forgot your password
Sign up now for free access to this content
Enter your details below and select your practice area(s) of interest to stay ahead of the curve and receive Lawcrossing search daily newsletters.