"Obese individuals are highly stigmatized, facing multiple forms of prejudice and discrimination because of their weight. And it transcends every aspect of a person's life because everybody sees this. This isn't like prostate cancer—nobody sees prostate cancer. But when the person has extra weight, everybody sees this. Everybody judges that person." Ethan Lazarus explained in a recent CER webinar.
This phenomenon is weight discrimination or weight bias. And it's a major issue, given that, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of adults in the United States are obese. Employers are actually part of the problem, but can also be part of the solution.
Examples of weight discrimination
Obese individuals experience stigma in every area of their life including:
- Employment
- Education
- Health care
- Relationships
- Media
And these are just a few examples – it happens everywhere. In employment, weight bias is prevalent. According to a recent survey:
- 25 percent of obese individuals face job discrimination
- 54 percent are treated differently by coworkers or colleagues
- 43 percent experience bias by their employers or supervisors
Types of bias:
- Derogatory humor (at them or about weight)
- Not being hired
- Being denied promotions
- Wage discrimination (being paid less)
- Being fired
Obese individuals also earn lower wages. For women, this translates to between 2.3 to 6.1 percent lower pay, earning them an average $4,879 less if they were obese than if they were at normal weight. For men, this translates to between 0.7 to 3.4 percent lower; men earned an average of $2,646 less if they were obese.
"When I look at that statistic, that tells me in our country it's more politically correct to be an obese male than an obese female. Or, conversely, that women are subjects of weight bias in terms of wages at a higher level than men are." Lazarus pointed out.
And this discrimination is technically legal in all states but Michigan.
"An employer can fire somebody because of their weight, and the employee has no recourse. Or the employer can pay the person less because of their weight, and the employee, most of the time, has no recourse." Lazarus explained. In other words, employers continue to have legal freedom to discriminate against job applicants or employees on the basis of weight.
What can employers do to reduce weight discrimination?
Here are some steps to reduce weight discrimination:
- Consider that individuals have had negative experiences regarding their weight. Approach this with sensitivity.
- Recognize that many (perhaps most) individuals have tried to lose weight repeatedly. Many have lost weight but gained it back. It has nothing to do with willpower or desire.
- Recognize the complex etiology (causation) of obesity and communicate this to others to avoid stereotypes that obesity is attributable to personal willpower.
- When appropriate, emphasize behavior changes rather than just the number on the scale. For employers implementing wellness programs, for example, this means incentivize wellness behaviors rather than weight loss. This could be steps on a pedometer, checking into the health clinic, completing a food journal, etc. We can control our behavior, not the scale.
- Acknowledge the difficulty of lifestyle change. Most people are creatures of habit, and we've developed our habits over our whole life, so even tiny changes can tip the needle.
- Recognize that small weight losses can result in significant health gains. This is especially relevant for employers who self-insure. "Most individuals of weight are developing other medical problems because of their weight—things like diabetes, and high blood pressure, high cholesterol." Lazarus told us. "Remember that if a person just held their weight the same, the risk is going to be lower." Even keeping weight the same is beneficial (as opposed to gaining), and accomplishing a small weight loss lowers the risk of other diseases significantly.
- Create a supportive environment with proper furniture, professional reading materials, etc. "This comes down to having a work environment where a person of weight feels welcome. You don't want to have a desk chair that's built for somebody that weighs 120 pounds for an employee that weighs 300 pounds." Lazarus explained.
The above information is excerpted from the webinar "Obesity and the ADA: How to Insulate Your Organization from Potential Liability Following Recent AMA Classification." To register for a future webinar, visit CER webinars.
Ethan Lazarus, M.D., specializes in helping individuals with weight problems lose weight and live happier, healthier lives. He is board certified both by the American Board of Obesity Medicine and by the American Board of Family Medicine.