KPMG, one of the Big Four accounting firms, asks job candidates about their sexual orientation and if they have any “trans or gender varied experience” or “intersex variation.”
The non-mandatory questions are being asked in the midst of a campaign by a large professional services organization to promote a “inclusive workplace” that “values diversity.”
However, some legal professionals think the queries, which were originally reported by the Australian Financial Review on Tuesday and were viewed by Daily Mail Australia, might be discriminatory.
Please choose the identification below that best fits your gender in one of the questions.
There are many possible responses: man, woman, non-binary, gender fluid, and agender.
Do you have any transgender or other gender varied experience or background, such as brotherboy/sistergirl or third gender, according to the following questions?
Aboriginal societies use terminology like “brotherboy” and “sistergirl” to refer to transgender persons.
People who are not classified as either men or women are said to be of the third gender.
The query “Do you have an intersex variation?” is another one that is posed.
People who are born with “atypical physical sex features” or a mix of male and female biological traits are said to be intersex.
The form’s last sections include inquiries about the applicant’s preferred pronouns and sexual orientation.
According to KPMG, a job applicant’s application would not be impacted by the information obtained from the responses to these questions.
A spokeswoman for KPMG told Daily Mail Australia, “At KPMG, we are dedicated to building an inclusive workplace that supports and celebrates diversity.”
We accept and promote applications from persons of all ages, ethnicities, and faiths, as well as those who identify as LGBTIQ+, have a disability, or come from a variety of cultural or linguistic backgrounds.
The KPMG spokesman said, “A wide variety of inquiries regarding applicants’ histories are asked throughout the application process, all of which are optional.”
We combine them to provide a statistical overview of our progress toward a diverse workforce.
According to Amy Zhang of Harmers Workplace Lawyers, KPMG was taking a legal risk by using the questions, which may be used to discriminate against candidates.
“Asking these kinds of questions during the application stage is always dangerous,” she warned.
“A preferable strategy would be to distribute an anonymous survey after the conclusion of the recruiting process.”
Over 10,000 individuals work for KPMG in Australia.
The questions on gender identity on KPMG employment applications
1. Please choose the identification that best reflects your gender from the list below:
Male, female, non-binary, transgender, agender, prefer not to say, and other (please use free text)
2. Do you have any transgender or other gender varied experience or background, such as brotherboy/sistergirl or third gender, for example?
Yes, No, or I’d rather not say
3. Do you have a transgender variant? (People with unusual physical sex traits are known as intersex. There are several distinct intersex characteristics or subtypes.)
Yes, No, or I’d rather not say
4. Please list your preferred pronouns (optional)
5. Which statement about your sexual preference is most accurate?
Bisexual, Pansexual, Asexual, Queer, Heterosexual/Straight, Prefer not to say, Other, Lesbian/Gay Woman, Gay Man, Bisexual, Pansexual, Asexual,