'Fat discrimination' common in the workplace and in
interviews
Employment Law & HR update 01/05/2012
Researchers at the University of Manchester have found that
overweight women are less likely to be offered a job and are likely
to be paid less than their slimmer counterparts when employed.
The researchers, who also worked with scientists from
Australia’s Monash University on the study, said that ‘fat
discrimination’ was widespread. Many bosses view overweight
jobseekers as lazy or gluttonous, according to the researchers.
The research involved handing pictures of women taken before and
after weight loss surgery - along with their CVs - to 102 students
who were asked to rate their leadership potential and their future
success potential. The students, who did not know that the photos
were of the same women, were also asked whether they would given
them a job and what starting salary the women would be given.
The researchers found that the candidates that were overweight
were much more poorly marked than those who were a healthy
weight.
Kerry O’Brien, who led the research, said, “Our findings show
that there is a clear need to address obesity discrimination,
particularly against females who tend to bear the brunt of anti-fat
prejudice.”
The findings were published in the International Journal of
Obesity.
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