MELBOURNE, May 1: A new Australian study has found that obese women face discrimination when applying for jobs.
Researchers from Monash University undertook the study to analyse a series of resumes with a photo of the applicant. It was found that obese women were more likely to face discrimination when applying for a job and more likely to be paid less than their slimmer colleagues.
The university’s Kerry O’Brien was qouted by the report as saying that discrimination against obese candidates was strong in all job selection criteria, including starting salary and leadership potential.
“If they’re less likely to be in high-status jobs, it’s not because they’re lazy and stupid – which are some of the stereotypes – it’s because we actually put them there because we discriminate against them,” he said.
“We know that lower socio-economic status is associated with greater obesity, so really it’s becoming a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy with this discrimination,” he added.
It was also found that the more highly the participants rated their own physical attractiveness, the more likely they were to discriminate against obese candidates. The findings have been published in the International Journal of Obesity. (PTI)
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