KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals Spring 2014 | Page 7

Cawley found that when the
average white woman puts on
an additional 64 pounds, her
wages drop 9%. (Some studies
have shown that overweight
white women are evaluated
more harshly than overweight
African American women and
that African Americans tend
to be more accepting of large
body types.)
In 2004, Charles Baum, of Middle Tennessee State University,
reported in the journal Health
Economics that obesity could
lower a woman’s annual earnings by as much as 6.2% and a
man’s by as much as 2.3%.
“Fat, lazy and unproductive”
might be some of the stereotypes that ring true to employers who reject an obese applicant despite a stellar resume.
Published last month in the
International Journal of Obesity, a new study examined the
role anti-fat prejudice plays in
workplace hiring practices.
A group of 95 reviewers
acting in the role of employers were shown a group of
I did very little in terms of losing
weight. Oh, I was up, I was down,
I was going to lose those “last few
pounds” but frankly, despite a
very satisfying career, I never really did see the light. Until recently,
that is, when I took Draconian-like
steps to cure a lifetime of ridicule
and bias. Sure, people want to be
accepted “just the way they are
and for whom they are” despite
any well documented health risks
and concerns - as so they should
be. But that’s not the reality.

their

“...

appearance has
been

hurting their

careers.”
resumes with an attached photo.
To avoid biased results, the true
reason for the study was concealed from participants, said
lead researcher Kerry O’Brien of
Monash University in Australia.
Asked to determine the likelihood of selecting a potential
candidate and her starting
salary, the “employers” were
shown a group of resumes with
equivalent skills, experience and

Excess weight can kill you. It
can be a social and career barrier and despite anyone’s sincere
efforts to change the world, this
kind of discrimination probably
isn’t going stop anytime soon.
Fair? Absolutely not. Make you
want to rebel? You betcha. But
consider this: the world has
changed. It’s visual now. And,
being in shape can bring nothing but good things. That’s the
reality.
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education. What the reviewers did not know was that
the pictures clipped to the
resumes were of the same
six women before and after
weight loss surgery. The study
results showed that obese
women received more negative responses on leadership
potential, predicted success,
likelihood to select, salary,
total employment rating and
rank order of preference relative to other candidates.
Employers today want to
keep healthcare costs down.
The heavier you are, studies
show, the more days off you
take and the more vulnerable
you are to certain illnesses.
While your work may be excellent, chances of promotion
may be slim. (Pardon the pun,
please.) Have you been in the
same position for 20 years
while being told that you are
an excellent attorney, paralegal, manager, etc.? Surely
there must be somewhere
upwards you could travel. If
it hasn’t happened and your
work is terrific, ask yourself,
why, why, why?
By the way, while I’m on my soapbox, please beware of those of us
who are on weight loss programs.
These “just saw the light and you
can too” folks can be righteous
and annoying; they will preach,
lecture and moralize – all the while
(for those who succeed) advancing their careers just splendidly.
Along those lines, I’m pleased to
announce that I have just lost over
115 pounds. But that remains another story meant for another day.