Do overweight people face weight bias at work?
Weight discrimination is common in employment settings. Overweight people may face biased hiring decisions even before they confront a job interview. For example, experimental research studies have found that overweight job applicants are rated more negatively and less likely to be hired compared to non-overweight applicants, despite having identical qualifications and resumes. Other studies have found that overweight employees are considered lazy, sloppy, less competent, lacking in self-discipline, disagreeable, less conscientious, and poor role models. Research also shows that overweight individuals are paid less for the same jobs, are more likely to have lower paying jobs, and are less likely to get promoted than thin people with the same qualifications. Rudd Center research studies have documented employment settings to be a frequent place where weight bias occurs. A 2006 study surveyed over 2400 overweight and obese adults about their experiences of weight bias, and showed that 54
