The findings of the University of Michigan study weren't surprising to Kathy Gerson, spokeswoman for Weight Watchers in Houston. And even heavy people are some of the discriminators. Gerson remembered a Weight Watchers meeting in which a headhunter explained how she put a little code on the application that indicated the candidate was overweight. She explained that she didn't refer overweight candidates for the better jobs, Gerson said. Even though the manager, who asked not to be identified, is very confident and well-groomed, her weight is a big mark against her.
Appearance is so important in corporate America.
It's more socially acceptable to relieve stress with Scotch or cigarettes. Knowing the reality of the situation and wanting a new job, the manager has put herself on a diet. Discrimination complaints related to obesity are very rare, said H. Joan Ehrlich, district director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Houston. While discrimination based on body size isn't a direct violation of Civil Rights laws, someone could argue that an employer treating an obese woman different from an obese man could constitute sex discrimination. To get a better handle on the reasons behind the wage gap, Wray, assistant professor in the University of Michigan's medical education department at the medical school, hopes to break out the data for single and married women.