Gender Identity and Expression - US - November 2020

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Key issues covered in this Report
Definitions
COVID-19: market context
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Top takeaways
Overview of the gender landscape
Figure 1: Perception of gender – by LGBTQ+ identity, by generation, September 2020
Figure 2: Gender expansion in social circles – by LGBTQ+ identity, by generation, September 2020
Challenges
Consumers feel limited by gender norms
Figure 3: Eliminating gender norms – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Employees want more gender diversity training
Figure 4: Gender education in the workplace – by generation, September 2020
Opportunities
Expanding identification options
Figure 5: Government ID – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Gender-neutral and gender-fluid products
Figure 6: Personal care items – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
THE GENDER LANDSCAPE – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
The gender spectrum model is increasingly widespread and accepted
Gender-expansive identity and expression is more common among Gen Z and LGBTQ+ adults
Gender-expansive identities are more common than one would think
THE GENDER LANDSCAPE 
Defining sex and gender
Seeing gender as a spectrum is becoming mainstream philosophy
Figure 7: Perception of gender – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Women and younger generations are more likely to believe gender is a spectrum
Figure 8: Perception of gender – by generation, September 2020
Figure 9: Perception of gender – by gender, September 2020
Among LGBTQ+ adults, the gender spectrum is less embraced by men and transgender adults
Figure 10: Perception of gender – by gender and transgender identity, September 2020
Transgender identity versus non-binary identity
Gender-expansive identity is more common among the LGBTQ+ population
Figure 11: Gender identity – by LGBTQ+ identification and transgender identity, September 2020
LGBTQ+ adults also see gender expression as more nuanced and fluid
Figure 12: Gender expression – by gender, by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 13: Gender expression – by gender, by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Gen Z and Millennial LGBTQ+ adults are more likely to personally embrace gender-expansive expression
Figure 14: Gender expression – by LGBTQ+ population, by generation, September 2020
Figure 15: Gender expression – by total population, by generation, September 2020
PREVALENCE OF GENDER-EXPANSIVE IDENTITIES 
Nearly one in five Americans know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns or identifies as non-binary
Figure 16: Gender expansion in social circles – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Younger generations are more likely to know someone who identifies as non-binary
Figure 17: Gender expansion in social circles – by generation, September 2020
Figure 18: Gender expansion in social circles – by generation, September 2020
Americans are unsure if the use of gender-neutral pronouns will be an enduring trend
Figure 19: Gender-neutral pronouns – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Whether or not gender-neutral pronouns are a fleeting fad, most Americans feel government IDs should be more gender inclusive
Figure 20: Government ID – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
THE CONSUMER – KEY TAKEAWAYS  
Gender is a critical part of a person’s identity
Traditional gender roles remain prevalent and frustrating
Gender-neutral, gender-fluid and gender-bending products are gaining attention and appeal
Workplace training on gender-expansive identities is lacking and desired
ROLE OF GENDER IDENTITY 
Gender is an important part of personal identity, for both the general population and LGBTQ+ adults
Figure 21: Role of gender – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
The general population is more likely to be offended by misgendering than LGBTQ+ adults
Figure 22: Being misgendered – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 23: Gender pronouns and identification – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Sharing pronouns is also more common among young, urban-dwelling adults
Figure 24: Gender pronouns – by generation and location type, September 2020
Not knowing someone else’s gender identity is less of a concern
Figure 25: Recognizing gender – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
GENDER ROLES AND SOCIETY 
Nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults feel limited by gender norms
Figure 26: Gender norms – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 27: Gender norms – by sexual orientation and transgender identity, September 2020
Younger generations are more impacted by the limits of gender norms
Figure 28: Gender norms – by generation, September 2020
Men feel more limited by gender norms than one might think
Figure 29: Gender norms – by gender, September 2020
Figure 30: Feminine traits – by gender, September 2020
The majority of people feel gender norms should be eliminated
Figure 31: Eliminating gender norms – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
GENDER AND BRANDS
Clothing and personal care product purchases are the most likely to be influenced by consumers’ gender identity
Figure 32: Gendered products – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Nearly half of LGBTQ+ adults experiment with personal care products designed for a different gender
Figure 33: Personal care items – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 34: We Are Fluide, Fluide Universal Gloss, September 2020
Interest in experimenting and mixing gendered personal care items increases with younger generations
Figure 35: BiC Us razor, June 2020
Figure 36: Personal care items – by generation, September 2020
Gender bending has noteworthy interest among the general population
Figure 37: Gender bending – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 38: Decades of gender-bending fashion of the MFA Boston
Figure 39: Billie Eilish’s fluid gender expression
Figure 40: Gender bending – by gender, September 2020
Gender bending is more of interest among younger generation
Figure 41: Gender bending – by generation, September 2020
Unisex clothes for adults is more niche, but unisex clothes for children has more mass appeal
Figure 42: Unisex clothing – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Gender equity across products is desired by all
Figure 43: Brand and gender-neutral products – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Figure 44: Always removes Venus female symbol from packaging, October 2019
GENDER AND THE WORKPLACE 
Workplace diversity training on gender identity and expression is not widespread
Figure 45: Workplace training – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Workplace inclusivity is noticed, but not by all
Figure 46: Workplace inclusivity – by LGBTQ+ identity, September 2020
Despite inclusivity efforts, a quarter of LGBTQ+ adults are not comfortable fully expressing their gender identity at work
Figure 47: Comfort at work – by gender, LGBTQ+ identity and transgender identity, September 2020
Gender inclusivity efforts become more accepted and embraced among younger generations
Figure 48: Gender education in the workplace – by generation, September 2020
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – KEY TAKEAWAYS 
Appealing to consumers’ Identity, Rights and Surroundings
MINTEL TREND DRIVERS 
Identity
Rights
Surroundings
COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES
Supporting consumers’ personal self-expression
Category example: beauty and personal care
Figure 49: Faculty Instagram post, September 2020
Category example: home fitness
Figure 50: Peloton Instagram post, June 2020
Breaking down gender stereotypes
Category example: AI and smart technology
Category example: retail
Figure 51: For those brave enough to defy norms
Advocating for gender-inclusive representation
Category example: eSports
Figure 52: Let’s change the game together
Category example: marketing and advertising
Figure 53: The Gender Spectrum Collection
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS
Data sources
Consumer survey data
Consumer qualitative research
Abbreviations and terms
Abbreviations
Terms