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Subscribe to RSSIt’s hard being a woman in a male-dominated world (just ask a woman about this). Guys are generally paid more than their female peers and they don’t even have to go through childbirth. But should women really have to pay more for being overweight?
Researchers at George Washington University have found that a man pays $2,646 annually for being obese (on such things as medical expenses, loss of wages or diminished productivity), while a woman pays almost twice that amount ($4,879).
The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 and $432 for women and men, respectively. When they added the value of lost life to these costs the researchers found that obese men must pay $6,518 while the cost to women is $8,365.
All this is disheartening enough for women, but it’s made all the more depressing when you factor in the findings of another study, this time from the University of Florida, which finds that the skinnier a woman is, the more she gets paid.
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Separate studies of 11,253 Germans and 12,686 U.S. residents found that very thin women (who weigh 25 pounds less than the group’s norm) earned an average $15,572 a year more than women of “normal” weight, according to the study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology the findings of which are reported in The Wall Street Journal.
For overweight men, however, the trend is reversed. Overweight guys tend to earn more than their skinnier colleagues, the study found. Thin guys earned $8,437 less than men of average weight, and they were consistently rewarded for getting heavier. The highest pay point, on average, was reached for guys who weighed a strapping 207 pounds, the Journal said.
Maybe employers will start examining their assumptions about employees’ weight? Fat chance.
Leave a Comment:
A strapping 207 lbs? That is not "heavy" for a 6' 2" healthy/physically active male...
While you are correct, there are probably something like 5 fat men for every athletic man at any given height/weight ratio.
If this author had taken a Statistics 101 class, he would know that the connection between being over weight and getting a higher or lower paycheck in no way implies causation. To assume that employers are considering people's pay via their weight is absurd. It's more likely that trim women tend to be more contientious and dilligent in eating AND working. And with men, it's more likely that they are heavy since they have the paycheck that allows them to afford to eat excessively, while being able to avoid the stigma of weight gain that women face.
What? Don't you like your news to be sensationalised and bordering on completely made up? Facts? Research? Statistics? Sounds like book-learning to me! :) We don't take kindly to edumacated folks in these here parts. LOL
Agreed. Smarter women tend to take care of themselves better. Smarter women tend to make more money. This "study" shows correlation, not causation.
"Smarter" women???? I thought the article was about skinny vs heavy women. So now skinny means you're smarter?
I agree with you. Skinny does NOT mean y ou are smarter. Has anyone paid attention to the news/tabloids/reality tv/movies/television? Being skinny has NOTHING to do with being smart. Some of the most intelligent women I know are, full figured, beautiful women.
Actually, I am an obese women that outworks all of my co-workers. This isn't just my observation either, but that of my co-workers and employer before someone assumes otherwise. I don't believe an individuals 'earn' pay raises based on their weight, however do agree that when initially hired an employer may inadvertantly make an assessment based partially on weight therefore resulting pay difference.
I am not the least bit surprised. It is all in the appearances and how the "perceived" abilities of the person can be viewed. lets face it there are strong stereotypes that exist. Thin woman are viewed to be healthy, intelligent, and more professional as compared to overweight women. Whereas very thin men are considered to be weak and fragile or even "geekish" The Very over weight male is viewed as lazy or unmotivated. I would agree that the 207 lb 6ft American male is viewed as the dominant male and would probably earn more.
not that i agree with this, i know people of all shapes and sizes that contradict these perceptions but never the less stereotypes exist and do influence hiring and payscales.
one of the news programs did a special on this topic a while back and had very similar results with the same person and qualifications interviewed for a job as a thin person and then dressed up and disguised as a large person (female) more often the thin person was offered the job.
What world do YOU live in? "Geekish" workers are one of the highest paid categories. But they are talking about a broad range of jobs.
Thin women get paid higher because they get promoted easily because in a "male dominated world", they have the advantage of LOOKS.
The reason why "thin" men earn less is because these men are usually younger. If you haven't notices, men get fat when they age...as fo many people. So more senior workers obviously earn more money.
Thin women don't earn more, they just spend less on food.
You are an idiot.
But funny!
Amc, yes, you ARE an idiot.
This is a little dumb. There is a correlation, but there isn't any evidence to demonstrate causality. Need to dig a little deeper, especially when drawing conclusions about large men. Many variables are at work: age, education levels, etc.
men get fat when they age, that's why. The more senior you are, the more you are likely to earn.
Correlation and causation are two very different things. While I doubt the study editors made this error, articles designed to grab attention typically do. What is more likely is that thinner women as a group likely have the highest concentration of the motivated and hard working personalities who tend to gravitate to the professions (sales, client facing) that tend be the highest paid positions. Further, a woman who has had kids is also much more likely to have reduced hours overall (due to maternity leave or flex time schedules allowing her to participate in child rearing duties) and less experience (due to exiting the workforce temporarily for child rearing duties) leaving them further behind the salary scale than their non-child bearing cohorts. Even further, this group of mothers with children is also probably slightly skewed towards normal or overweight (by study definition) due to the data capture timing (possibly in the months leading up to or just after child birth when maternity weight is still present). A better study would present hours worked or effort contributed (if measurable) against weight and salary. I think the results would probably ferret some of these ideas.
Seems to me for women to be this thin in this day and age of working mom's forever on the go, thin women would have to be exceptionally motivated, hard-working, and ambitious, because in the typical working mom's life, when is there time to workout? That said, the character qualities driving her to be thin often translate into workforce attributes which are often rewarded. Additionally, thin women would imo be more apt to argue with a raise, and haggle for more, since these women show a propensity to demand more from life as it is. So, these two aforementioned reasons, along with male bosses paying for appearance would add up.
I agree with Howdy 100%. In fact, though I don't know where or how long ago this came out, but I heard that a study done that those more physically fit- both men and women- tend to have more ambition. I'm not sure about what leads to what, but this definitely make sense if you think about it in monetary terms.
I tend to agree with your comments. I am by no means thin, but since I developed healthy eating habits and stopped using food as a pacifier, I have found it translates to healthier attitudes towards a lot of other things. I feel in control and so I tend to take more control. Maybe there is something there.
Fez (coach2accomplish.com)
Is this really a surprise? They stand out. They also typically dress well, take great care in their appearance and are very active and motivated.
The best coworkers I've ever had were overweight women.
Attractiveness in women.
And being tall in men.
They get the jobs.
No research needed.
Been that way forever, and always will.
What a decidedly unscientific statement.
I am surprised that so many people are surprised by these statements and the study’s findings. I think a lot of people need to be very honest with themselves, their beliefs and the stereotypes they believe in. I am a five foot, nine inch 31 year old woman and weigh 250 lbs. I am considered to be morbidly obese and I will be the first to admit that when I see a heavier, rounder new female employee paraded thru the office I immediately think “Oh great another lazy fat woman who can’t get on a tread mill and stop eating at McDonalds.” And I myself am overweight. One in three Americans is currently at a healthy BMI. That means that two thirds of the American population is overweight and I am one of them. Yet the same way I admittedly criticize the new fat girl in the office; I am a hypocrite when it comes to myself. I sadly think that stereotypical way and I am sure that my boss who decides how much I make a year does too. That’s just reality.
My real concern here is that my tax dollars probably paid for this asinine study… Thank you to the government for telling us something we already knew and spending our tax money to do it.
Appreciate your honesty. Assuredly grant money that paid for the study, and in fact, it may be stimulus dollars at work. I would suspect however that the results would tie in some way to EEOC and hopefully shape policies therein.
What about the real minority? Aging WASP males: We fat old farts die younger, we deserve more money. At least let me have a red convertible.
Of course, the feminists will use this study as proof that fat women are being discriminated against. I wonder if the study consider the fact that fat women are fat for a reason. Most of it is because they are simply lazier than someone who is fit. The fit woman takes better care of herself by eating right and exercising. That laziness carries over to the work place. The woman who is 50 pounds overweight will less likely to get off the seat and do less leg work. Unless you are in a union, lazy people should get paid less than someone who performs at a higher level.
Seriously Tired? I work with a bunch of very fat people they walk incredibly slow and can never hurry anything in their lives. Unless they're comfortable with themselves, and truly how many obese people really are, they tend to have crappy attitudes towards the more healthy people. I would like to quote a previous comment though, "The best co-workers I've ever had were obese women" though I would add that they were all in their Fourties or higher and very comfortable with their bodies the way they were. These were women who had their day in the sun and are perfectly happy. Younger fat people tend to be far more bitter about it and tend to put people off with their attitudes. Yes there are people who simply and absolutely cannot help it and quite frankly those are the people I most despise though only because they demand that they have a job and that it constantly be held for them while they are constantly out on medical leave only to come back just long enough that they don't get fired. Meanwhile everyone else is forced to pick up their slack in their absence. I've had vacations canceled for this very reason so many times it makes me sick. Fat lazy people at least still show up for work and do SOMETHING.
just because someone's fat doesn't mean they're lazy. Most people are fat because they eat bad food and don't exercise. Healthy living is not compatible with the high-speed life that most of us have. Cooking good food takes time and if you have kids and a full time job it's difficult. I'm about 40 lbs overweight but with all the other stuff I have to do after work - get dinner, do dishes, make lunches, get baths - I don't have the energy or the inclination to do any exercizing.
Has it every occurred to these self righteous a-holes that maybe the reason women pick up weight is because they are ambitious, refuse to let their jobs suffer because of having children at home and have no time to work out. I have been on both sides skinny and now heavy. I am NO less ambitious nor am I dumber. Yes I try to work out but between a demanding job in the financial industry(40-50 hours per week), a side business that is seasonal, raising a son as a single mom, and going to school all day on Saturdays for my MBA, I don't have time to vainly work out for hours a day. I remember being able to eat what I wanted and wearing a size 4 but our bodies change and our priorities change.
You would be hard pressed to find a more ambitious, hard working, thin person on this planet, than this fat, middle aged broad. Stereotypes suck!!!!!!!
It all boils down to discipline of the human mind and dedication to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Working over 60 hours a week, going to college, and working out, there is time time to accomplish it all if you desire to do so. Time management is the key. Laziness and excuses are what lead to todays society's full of complaints and complaints. Everyone lives their lifes through the decisions they make.
Hard work and dedication leads to possible positive results. It isn't easy being perfect in all aspects of life, but being educated on how health issues helps. Actions speak louder than words, so get out there and create the life you want and where you want to be. Don't allow the small things in life hamper your goals. Good luck and stay positive minded.
I have to agree....fat women are generally not as intelligent as thinner women. Fat women are lazy with their diets...and in the same way, lazy with their minds. Thinner women have discipline when it comes to their diets and have the same discipline when it comes to their mental development. Fat women don't care...they shove food in their mouths with no concern for the quality of what's going in, and they have the same lack of concern with quality of what's going in their minds.
I am an overweight female and can assure you work just as hard as anyone else, and was laid off from my job after 33 years after they had just hired 2 extremely attractive, younger administrative assistants. It's called discrimination, and it's against the law, people...
Hold your horses, "looksism" isn't against the law and never will be.
From experience, I'll tell you that any executive that's worth anything would rather have the homely talented admin than the comely airhead. Maybe there's more to that story...
Give the bitterness a rest and focus on what you can improve about you. You'll be happier.
Atheismo - obesity is a protected class as it is considered a disease and falls under the protection of ADA. The company I worked for was taken to court for this by the state. The state won.
THE COST OF BEING A WOMAN, Has this reporter even ventured into the market and seen real truth where most over wieght Managers love women of any size as long as they can lunch date them........
work 20 years for a corporation and get layed off while the Fat Manager of 9 years, kept the NEW GIRLS.
It is called EMPLOYMENT AT WILL, meaning up yours catch us if you can
You really need to find something better to do with your time, rather than taking up print space on an item like this. Who cares.
Pay talk aside, I wish overweight folks would try harder to eat right and exercise. I think they would be surprised how much better they would feel.
Oh right have you ever been an overweight person and tried to go to a gym. People are cruel and mean and tell you to go to Mcd and get off their machines. Some will just point and laugh at you. A very common place for bullies to attack your drive to be better.
I wish we would too
Stupid article, no scientific facts, no reason to write such an idiot comment,
There are many women who make tons of money more than men and have leadership abilities, and are also on the heavy side. ...Ask Oprah...
Lots more to love.
Ya know, maybe overweight women would not feel so "down" if society would get off their backs!!! In no way is there the kind of demand on men like there are on women to maintain not only a household, kids, husband, car pooling, school, homework, laundry, cooking, now they have to worry if they are a few pounds overweight in order to land a job that pays decently. Are you kidding me?!?!!?!? Personally, a woman who can juggle all of those responsibilities and still give her top performance is beyond intelligent. Skinny has nothing to do with smarts, have you not paid attention to, well, anything going on outside your cubicles? Jeesh people!!! Some of the most intelligent women I know are overweight. People find something else to do a study about.
Yet another study that means absolutely nothing. Not once in the article were large women and large men in THE SAME OCCUPATION compared. There are a lot more typical male occupations that require larger size than there are typical female occupations (football player and other atheletic occupations, occupations that require bulk, brawn, heavy lifting, etc.).
Rassy, That's been stated already.