"Men's Obesity Doesn't Matter, but Women Face Reduced Salary and Promotion Opportunities Just for Being Overweight"

Men Show Little Wage Difference by Weight
Researchers Say "Obesity Penalties Create Pressure on Women and Girls"

A survey conducted in several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Canada found that overweight women earn 10% less than their normal-weight female colleagues in the same workplace. In contrast, men showed almost no wage difference based on body weight.

Recently, the British economic magazine The Economist analyzed statistical data on income quintiles, gender, and obesity rates in major countries across the US, Europe, and Asia. According to the report, wealthier countries, often called developed nations, tend to have slimmer populations closer to an ideal weight, while poorer populations tend to be overweight.

The researchers explained, “This so-called ‘penalty for an obese woman’ is a key reason driving women and girls into an obsession with losing weight.”

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It is generally known that those closer to poverty cannot pay much attention to their diet and are easily exposed to overweight due to consuming simple, high-calorie foods such as fast food and sugary drinks. There is also a strong common belief that they have difficulty accessing fresh, nutritious foods, which are essential for a healthy diet.

However, the media pointed out that the correlation between wealth disparity and obesity differs by gender. In countries like the US and Italy, wealthy and poor men were similarly overweight, but women showed a completely different pattern. Obesity rates dropped sharply among wealthy women compared to poor women.

Regarding this, The Economist noted, “There is evidence that ‘slimness’ is a major factor in social and economic success for women,” adding, “Numerous studies show that overweight or obese women earn less than their slimmer colleagues.” It also mentioned that in several countries including the US and Europe, overweight women’s wages are about 10% lower than those of their slim female counterparts.

The researchers reiterated, “This so-called ‘penalty for an obese woman’ is a key reason driving women and girls into an obsession with losing weight.”

According to research by David Lambert, a professor at the University of Texas, obese women had fewer opportunities for raises and promotions throughout their careers. Starting salaries were also lower compared to non-obese women. In the paper, Professor Lambert stated, “Women under 43 years old in 2004 faced greater wage discrimination, i.e., a larger ‘penalty for obesity,’ than women under 20 years old in 1981.”

There are also predictions that prejudice and stigma against obesity will not easily diminish. So-called weight stigma is defined by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) as discriminatory thoughts and behaviors based on weight and body size, resulting from weight bias.

According to an “implicit bias” test conducted by Harvard University, negative perceptions of race, gender, and homosexuality have significantly decreased over the past decade, but negative perceptions of obesity have actually increased.

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There are also criticisms that social systems reinforce prejudice against obese women. Aubrey Gordon, an American writer and activist, confessed in her book What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat that she grew up hearing words like “monstrous,” “disgusting,” and “like a plague” because she was fat. The author also mentioned structural and institutional issues that reinforce prejudice against fat bodies, such as the diet industry, public health campaigns, and popular culture. Educational health policies like tracking students’ body mass index (BMI) lack scientific basis and are criticized for promoting the bias that “one must be slim.”

Professor Lambert said, “In the past, it was thought that as overweight became more common, discrimination against fat women would decrease. However, although the overweight population doubled between 1980 and 2000, stigma and penalties against obese women increased.” He explained, “As slimness became rarer, its premium increased, leading to greater discrimination against obese women.”

The Economist concluded, “According to this ‘penalty for obesity’ and social conventions, it has become a rational and logical conclusion for women aspiring to social success to pursue slimness.”