Men are big and strong, and Women are skinny. That’s how it should be, right? Unfortunately, that’s how it has to be if you want to earn a fair salary.
According to a recent study, men who are skinnier than average earn less money than normal-weighted men, while thin women get paid more than other average-sized women.
Timothy Judge and Daniel Cable researched the study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. Based on their findings, thin men made about $8,000 less than their “normal” coworkers. Men were rewarded for being heavier until they reached the point of obesity.
Thin women (25 pounds below the average) made $16,000 more than average-sized women. Women who were 25 pounds more than the average earned $14,000 less.
Teresa Rothausen-Vange, a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, said:
Employers don’t purposely think of these things when they’re evaluating a person. They don’t say “OK, this woman is skinny, I’m going to give her a raise.” But research has shown that if you have two résumés, if all other qualifications make the candidates equal, the more physically attractive one—whether it’s a skinny woman or a muscly man—will have the leg up.
In the study, the researchers cite examples of obese workers who were considered “undisciplined, dishonest and less likely to do productive work.” They also pointed out that values like positivity and hard work were associated with thin individuals.
I’m assuming they meant “thin women.” Because if those attributes were associated with skinny dudes, why would they be making less money?
I guess none of this should be all that surprising, though. It’s the idea that’s been beaten into our heads for what seems like forever: men have to be brawny and built, while women need to be thin and fit.
According to the story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, awareness for this problem is growing. Marshall Tanick, an attorney in the Minneapolis-area, is hosting a conference about how weight and appearance can lead to unfair treatment and salaries in the workplace.
While there are no laws protecting workers from being discriminated against based on their size, five years ago the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission began recognizing the claims of overweight workers “if they were backed with some legitimate emotional, genetic, or physiological reasoning that brought the claim under the umbrella of the Americans With Disabilities Act.”
Still, no average-sized woman or skinny guy has a shot at getting better pay because of discrimination. “That would be an uphill battle,” Tanick said.
But why is that? Shouldn’t a skinny guy have just as much of a case for a discrimination suit as an obese man? If obesity is being recognized as grounds for discrimination, why can’t the other extreme make the same claim? Let us know what you think.
—Photo beleist/Photobucket
Based on their findings, thin men made about $8,000 less than their “normal” coworkers. Men were rewarded for being heavier until they reached the point of obesity.
I wonder what the exact breakdown on that was (as in something as detailed as the next paragraph that puts a skinny, average, and large woman on an spectrum). This sounds too generic for me.
Correlation does not equal causation.
It sounds basic but these stupid articles make that mistake all the time.
FUUUUUUUU-
No one’s pay should be discriminated against based on size. I do want to propose an open, honest question, however. Isn’t it possible that our attraction to fit people is more than purely physical? When I see a fit person, I think of all the hard work and sacrifice they have had to give in order to attain their fitness. Equally, whenever I see an out of shape person exercising, I “send them” good will and think highly of them for taking initiative. Sacrifice and hard work are attractive. I can easily see why we think of fit people as… Read more »
False. Physical fitness is always skewed by uncontrollable physical factors and not dictated by personal conduct. Examples: – Bone density – Metabolism – Physical coordination -> enjoyment and frequency of athletic activities – Hormone level This also completely neglects the oft more influential muscle particularly in the modern age of technology: the brain To think someone puts in hard-work to look good and an obese person does not is just wrong and goes to show that the priority placed on physical appearance is out of balance and ignores the dynamic reality of the natural world. My suggestion: don’t try to… Read more »
These kinds of studies are so subjective and can never really be proven.
You guys had one last week that said lesbians make more than straight women. But do they make more than skinny straight women? And when it comes to the guys, is this study suggesting that “big” men make more money but then fall off the proverbial financial cliff when they become too big (obese)? It’s ridiculous trying to quantify the unquantifiable (is that even a word, I don’t know).
I wish I could be a really skinny lesbian. I’d never have to worry about money again.
Discrimination suits are very difficult to prove. Tons of documentation, and large employers have lawyers who can counter-spin almost everything a plaintiff presents.
But I think it’s important to put studies like this out there so people are aware of the insidiousness of discrimination.
By the way, being a “thin and attractive” female never helped me much when I worked in offices (I’m now self-employed aka unemployed freelancer). My problem was frequently offering ideas for improvement in the workplace, a habit of mine that usually resulted in being accused of wanting to take someone’s management job away from them.