The work environment can clearly contribute to weight gain, especially if you have a sedentary job, but did you know that your wage can be affected by your weight? That’s right, carry an extra 40 pounds and make 20 percent less than slimmer colleagues, says an NYU study.
And it’s worse for women. In 2004, obese women made $8,666 less than their thinner colleagues, according to the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Obese men made $4,772 less than males of normal weight, U.S. News & World Report notes.
Researchers have found that facial structure, height, and weight can all affect our paychecks. But why weight, especially when over two thirds of our country is overweight?
The earnings gap might stem from weight-related social stigmas, in addition to the financial costs associated with carrying excess weight.
According to Weight Watchers, the medical costs for obese patients are about 30 percent greater than costs for normal weight individuals, due to the way excess weight worsens other diseases, like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. And that carries over to sick days; one study found that heavy workers were more than twice as likely to report high level absenteeism than healthy weight workers. Employers are also concerned about productivity. A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that two-thirds of lost productivity time among obese workers was explained by presenteeism – time spent on the job performed at lower capacity due to stress, injury or illness.
The problem is, if you’re just 20-40 pounds overweight, you’re not considered obese and you’re probably not working at a lower productivity level. But you still may be affected financially.
Bottom Line: Losing a small amount of weight will not only improve health, but will also increase your chances of landing a job, and making more money. Sad, but true.
