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SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers at The George Washington University recently unveiled the skinny on the benefits of being skinny: slender individuals, especially women, tend to get paid more than their obese counterparts.
The study examined data from the national Longitudinal Survey of Youth form 2004 and 2008. For the years studied, wages among the obese were typically lower than those among those of a normal weight.
The wage gap was larger and more persistent among females than among males: in 2004, obese females earned more than $8,500 less than normal-weight females, compared to more than $4,500 for males.
"This research broadens the growing body of evidence that shows that in addition to taxing health, obesity significantly affects personal finances," said Dr. Christine Ferguson, a professor in the university's department of health policy. "It also reinforces how prevalent stigma is when it comes to weight-related health issues."
This research broadens the growing body of evidence that shows that in addition to taxing health, obesity significantly affects personal finances.
–Christine Ferguson
Stigma. Prejudice. Target of discrimination. Obesity is commonly referred to as the last acceptable stigma, or any number of related terms. In an increasingly PC-minded society, obesity does indeed seem to take the brunt of outright prejudice, at least in public.
"Not only are obese individuals feeling the effects of weight in their paychecks, they are also being socially disparaged and singled out," said Morgan Litchfield of the National Career Development Association.
Litchfield said some employers may view obese employees as a risk, leaving the workers pressured to either lose weight or face unfair discrimination.
Despite the differences in the wage differential between men and women, the gap narrowed for both genders and all races between 2004 and 2008. For Caucasian men, the differential was erased between 2004 and 2008.
Obese Hispanic women, too, experienced a wage differential in both 2004 and 2008. Obese Hispanic men only saw a penalty in 2008.
Obese African-Americans, though, saw a different trend: men were typically paid more than their normal-weight counterparts. Obese women saw similar pay rates as normal- weight women.
The research expands on a 2010 study done by the university that attempted to calculate the cost of being obese for males and females.
The 2010 study measured indirect costs, such as lost productivity, and direct costs, such as medical expenses, to determine the cost of being obese to the individual.
Researchers found that the tangible annual cost of being obese is nearly $5,000 for an obese woman and more than $2,500 for an obese man. The cost of being overweight, by comparison, is $524 and $432 for women and men, respectively.
Much of the difference in the cost of obesity between men and women can be attributed to women's lost wages, according to the study.
