The "Roll" of Fat in Fair Pay
Published April 28, 2009 @ 03:12PM PT
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.
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Comments (5)
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Author
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Julie is a web editor and freelance writer with a master's degree in journalism. A recovering bulimic and anorexic, she is especially interested in the relationship between body image, pop culture and the media.
Fascinating information on the gender differences in overweight CEOs ... and excellent point that this is yet another contribution to the wage gap.
jon
Posted by Jon Pincus on 04/28/2009 @ 04:26PM PT
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Very interesting... I wonder, though, if weight has anything to do with the type of type-A, neurotic, controlling personality that so often makes it to the "top" position in a business... I wonder if it's more than just discrimination, and also personality-type.
Posted by R. U. on 04/28/2009 @ 06:35PM PT
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If that is the case, then why are overweight men over represented?
There is certainly nothing inherently more successful about thin women. Yes, our cultural rewards them for it, but the numbers on the scale have nothing to do with business acumen. I would argue that any woman who is obsessed with her food and weight will ultimately be less successful. That control quickly becomes chaos, a consuming cycle that will interfere with other aspects of their life.
Of course these obsessions don't guarantee you'll be thin. I was in treatment with several people that were overweight. And being skinny doesn't mean you have a Type A personality either. Genetics play an extremely important role in your body type, which is why some people are overweight even when they diet, and other people are underweight even when they live at McDonald's.
I do think it's a very interesting idea, there may be some truth behind it, but that brings me back to the high percentage of overweight male CEOs. Why would they be accepted when overweight women are not? Are male CEOs expected to have different personalities than female CEOs? Or is it really an issue of aesthetics?
Posted by Julie Neumann on 04/28/2009 @ 08:32PM PT
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This is quite insightful information on gender differences in overweight CEOs. I think this is no gender issue but rather an issue of physical inactivity.
Natural Cosmetics
Posted by Natural Cosmetics on 04/30/2009 @ 06:07AM PT
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I wonder if the information can be considered the whole picture, though, as I think a more accurate look would be what they weighed when they began the position/received the promotion/etc. When you think about the normal C-suite job, there isn't much physical activity but there is a lot of late night take out, long lunches, bad sleep, travel, and general body-beating. I wonder if the weight came on before or after, which would skew the finding if you're looking for why overweight women are less likely to reach that position than overweight men...
Posted by Paste MeIn on 04/30/2009 @ 10:00AM PT
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