The "Roll" of Fat in Fair Pay

by Julie Neumann · 2009-04-28 15:12:00 UTC
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Perhaps the biggest question on Equal Pay Day is why, in a society where women have made significant professional progress, we cannot close the wage gap. As Jen pointed out in her Fair Pay post this morning, the average woman earns 78 cents for every dollar a man makes. Race compounds this gap, with African American women and Latinas lagging even further behind.  But, it also appears that weight could be a factor as well.

A recent study, published in Equal Opportunities International, compared the weight and gender of Fortune 1000 CEOs.

  • 5% of male and female CEOs at top companies were obese (body mass index greater than 30), which is much lower than the U.S. average of 36% for men and 38% for women of similar age

  • An estimated 45-61% of top male CEOs are overweight (BMI between 25 and 29), which is higher than the U.S. average of 41% in similarly aged men

  • Only 5- 22% of top female CEOs were overweight (BMI between 25 and 29), which is lower than the U.S. average of 29% among similarly aged women

What does this mean? Discrimination based on body type is a real concern when it comes to women and the wage gap:

"The results suggest that while being obese limits the career opportunities of both women and men, being ‘merely overweight' harms only female executives - and may actually benefit male executives," said Mark Roehling, associate professor of human resource management at MSU. "This pattern of findings is consistent with previous research indicating that, at least among white Americans, there is a tendency to hold women to harsher weight standards."

If a high BMI is keeping women out of leading management positions, it is affecting the wage gap as well. By limiting access to the highest paid positions through weight discrimination, our society creates yet another barrier between women and equal pay.

Julie Neumann
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