The Relationship between Weight and Career Payoffs among Women

The thesis that weight affects women's life chances for reaching high-status, white-collar jobs is tested with survey data gathered from a large aerospace organization (N = 306). It is hypothesized that women who are at or below their desirable weight will have higher incomes and occupational p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociological forum (Randolph, N.J.) N.J.), 1999-06, Vol.14 (2), p.295-318
Main Authors: Haskins, Katherine M., Ransford, H. Edward
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body Weight
Employment discrimination
Female labour
Gender discrimination
Human capital
Income
Managers
Men
Nontraditional Occupations
Obesity
Occupational Achievement
Occupational Status
Occupations
Overweight
Professional Women
Scope of employment
Social stigma
Sociology
Sociology of work
Sociology of work and sociology of organizations
U.S.A
Wage levels
Wages
Women
Working population. Employment. Women's work
Working Women
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Summary:The thesis that weight affects women's life chances for reaching high-status, white-collar jobs is tested with survey data gathered from a large aerospace organization (N = 306). It is hypothesized that women who are at or below their desirable weight will have higher incomes and occupational positions than women who are overweight, with human capital variables controlled. It is further hypothesized that weight will be most related to occupational position in male-dominated occupations and in occupations that involve frequent contact outside the firm. Results show that weight is related to income, but only at entry-level professional/managerial occupations. Weight is significantly related to occupational position, especially so in male-dominated occupations. Weight is not more strongly related to occupational position in jobs involving outside contact. Findings are consistent with the interpretation that discrimination based on weight in the general society extends to the inner workings of workplace organizations.
ISSN:0884-8971
1573-7861
DOI:10.1023/A:1021470813182