Identifying as nonbinary — someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman — or using they/them pronouns can hurt an applicant in the job search process, according to a recent study by Business.com.

Researchers spoke with more than 400 nonbinary individuals about their job search experiences to understand the role that their gender identity played in the hiring process. The vast majority of respondents said they believed that identifying as nonbinary would hurt their chances of being hired.

“Many felt they had to hide an essential part of their identities to simply earn a living,” Business.com reported. “On the other hand, some people in our study felt that disclosing their nonbinary identity during the hiring process could help them identify inclusive employers.” 

Even if hired, nonbinary employees often face difficulties in the workplace, according to the survey results. More than half (51%) of the respondents said that their gender identity has “very or somewhat negatively” affected their work experience in general. Only 8% of the respondents said that being nonbinary has “very or somewhat positively” affected their work experience in general. Forty-one percent reported their workplace experiences to be neutral regarding their gender identity.

Nonbinary individuals in the South reported having more difficulties in the workplace than those in other regions.

“This region has historically espoused more conservative values and often makes headlines with anti-LGBTQ+ bills,” the authors noted.

In addition to interviews with nonbinary workers, the researchers conducted an experiment. They submitted two similar resumes, both with gender ambiguous names, and sent them to 180 unique job postings that explicitly were open to entry-level candidates. One resume included “they/them” pronouns under the name in the header; the other had no identifying pronouns. The test resumes that included “they/them” pronouns received 8% fewer responses than the control resumes without pronouns, according to the report.

“These results are especially worrisome because over 64% of the companies were Equal Opportunity Employers (EEO). EEO employers pledge not to discriminate against workers or applicants based on sex, gender, race, religion, ability or age,” the authors said.