Weight Bias in the Workplace
- Sonja Kleven
- Nov 21, 2020
- 5 min read
I don't think I’m alone in cringing slightly when I put on a pair of tight-fitting pants or a dress that leaves little about my tummy to the imagination. Not a day goes by that I do not think about how others will perceive my weight – Is this shirt too tight? Does my weight make this outfit look unprofessional? As a westernized society here in the United States, we are hyper focused on appearances. Large industries encourage this focus – diet programs, exercise culture, and the stereotypes that go along with not fitting into the mold are all part of the problem. Although the weight bias culture heavily influences body image and self-esteem, this culture also perpetuates harmful weight-based discrimination in the workplace. The worst part about all of this? Little is being done to combat or even recognize weight-based discrimination.
What about the obesity epidemic?
Before diving into weight-based discrimination in the professional field, it’s important to examine why weight bias exists in the first place. To effectively have that discussion, we need to back up even further and take a quick look into the facts and figures of the obesity epidemic and its prevalence in the U.S. The obesity epidemic is defined by The Obesity Society as a “multi-causal chronic disease recognized across the life-span.” According to the CDC, almost half of the population of the United States struggles with obesity (42.4%). Obesity can be a physically limiting factor within itself, but it also greatly increases the risk of contracting over 200 major chronic illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease. Not only is obesity a risk factor for the development of personal illnesses, but the direct and indirect costs of obesity and associated health problems put a heavy burden on our economic system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that obesity-related costs total about $147 billion annually. It’s become a big problem, so naturally there’s been some talk about it. Sadly, some of the talk has been more hurtful than helpful.
What are the causes?
The factors that determine size are extremely complicated. In a conversation with Jessica Donze-Black, the National Vice President of Community Health at the American Heart Association, she explains that the conditions that cause obesity are innumerable and often out of our control. “There’s this whole invisible context around you that you can’t extrapolate to anyone else. What system you grew up in, how healthy you were as a kid, what your norms of eating are at baseline, what your appetite is relative to your need, whether those sync up… It’s so much more complicated that we realize,” she explains. Putting aside the influences of the environment altogether, she also explained that size is largely pre-determined by genetic makeup. The bottom line? Weight is a complicated mess of genetic predispositions and environmental factors. No one is at fault, and we cannot make decisions about someone’s intelligence or work ethic based on their BMI or appearance. If body size is largely out of our control, why are there such negative attitudes about weight? Why are we so quick to make judgements about completely unrelated characteristics, like work ethic, based on someone’s size?
The flip-side of the coin
The World Health Organization describes weight biases as “negative attitudes towards, and beliefs about, others because of their weight.” In one study, 5th and 6th graders were given drawings of six children and asked to circle which child that they liked best. Each drawing was different – one was of thin child with no physical disabilities, one was of a child with crutches, one was in a wheelchair, one didn’t have a left hand, one had a facial disfigurement, and one child was “obese”. The students were instructed to rank the pictures from one to six based on most preferred to least preferred. The conclusions of the study were striking. The study found, “74.9% of participants ranked the healthy child first or second. At the other extreme, 70.1% ranked the obese child last or second to last.”
The results of this study put weight bias on intimate display. Children who hardly know their multiplication facts fall prey to the stigma that larger people are less valuable than thin people. Weight stigma is perpetuated because weight is perceived as a controllable characteristic. “Thin” is the beautiful, the norm, the standard, and anyone who doesn’t fit this mold isn’t trying hard enough; this is not the case. Like we’ve previously discussed, weight can be hard to control. No one has the right to make unnecessary judgements about someone’s size or appearance. As you’ve probably guessed, the weight stigmatization doesn’t stop at age 11. Studies have shown that overweight persons are perceived to be “lazy, unintelligent, unsuccessful, and lacking in self-discipline” in the adult world as well. These stereotypes about body weight worm their way into all aspects of life and manifest as hurtful forms of prejudice and discrimination.
What about weight bias in the workplace?
Conversations about weight-based discrimination don’t get a lot of air-time, even though weight-based discrimination in the workplace is more prevalent than we realize. Even with the exact same qualifications, overweight individuals are less likely to be hired than those who are perceived as “thin”. Overweight employees are more likely to report employment discrimination than non-overweight employees. Studies have also shown that an increase in weight often results in a decrease in wages.
Does weight bias in the workplace disproportionately affect women?
As with most instances having to do with appearance, the standard in the workplace is higher for women than it is for men. Women are judged based on their appearances in the workplace, especially in historically male-dominated fields. In one study, a significant majority of female news anchors reported that appearance and weight are a barrier to entry for women looking to pursue a career in the field, and that they receive regular comments from viewers about their sizes. They also reported that men weren’t held to the same standard. A study conducted at Yale University concluded that 10% of women report that they have faced weight-based discrimination in the workplace, while only 5% of men report the same. Another study conducted at Vanderbilt University found that women perceived as “overweight” earn less than their male peers, even when both groups have the same level of education. Women that fit the “attractive” mold are more likely to be hired, and those who don't are often penalized (in the form of not being offered a job or equal pay) for being “insufficiently groomed” when applying to jobs within male-dominated professions.
Ok, so what’s the solution?
Obviously, we have a lot of work to do. As of now, there aren’t any federal laws on the books that prohibit weight-based discrimination in the workplace. In fact, Michigan is the only state that explicitly prohibits discriminatory practices based on weight. Establishing laws prohibiting weight-based discrimination is a much-needed step in the right direction. Along with establishing these laws, it’s important to take steps to actively recognize our biases, especially in the workplace. Without commitment to both of these goals, we will get nowhere.
Weight-based discrimination exists, and it’s silently plaguing our society. From the subtle judgements of others at the grocery store to outright discrimination in the workplace, especially towards women, weight bias is not something that can be ignored any longer. We are missing out on talent, intelligence, and amazing discoveries because of our inability to look past our biases. Change is in the works, but it won’t happen on its own. It’s time to speak up about this little-talked about form of ever-present bias.
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