So I was listening to Dr. Laura as I was driving to a meeting last week. Normally. I switch the dial. I am no Dr. Laura fan. But the woman on the call caught my attention. Her question, “ Do I have a moral obligation to lose weight because my husband wants me to?”
After questioning the woman on how much weight she’s gained since she got married, -- 40 pounds. Dr. Laura was emphatic. “Yes you have a moral obligation.”
She did add that if the woman had been fat prior to marriage, she wouldn’t have this moral obligation. But given that the weight piled on after marriage, in Dr. Laura’s world, losing the weight is morally the only choice.
Dr. Laura didn’t stop with the morality lesson, she added a bit of fat bias to her advice, saying something like “lose the weight, you’ll be happier.”
The world is full of Dr. Laura’s who think there is nothing more despicable than being overweight. Of course, given that 60% of Americans are classified as supersizers, it does seem that we are a country of self-loathers.
To see just how bad fat prejudice is, check out My Big Fat Blog, where they talk about all things fat including workplace bias.
Last year I studied the fat issue for Women’s Business Minnesota. Turns out that a fat woman earns $6,000 less than her thin counterpart. Then there's Kirstie Alley who has turned her weight problem into a job opportunity by starring in a reality TV program about being a fat actress.
That's not an option for most overweight workers.
In conducting research for that article, which I can’t link to because they don’t archive them online, I found a very interesting dichotomy.
While the majority of people will speak out against discrimination based on race, gender or sexual preference, these same people have no problem saying “I don’t want a fat person working for me.”
Shortly after I did the story I was taking a walk with a friend who had spent 20 years in the recruiting field. I asked her about recommending the overweight for job positions. This isn’t exactly the conversation, but it's close.
“ Well, I would never recommend an obese person for a job that required client contact,” confessed Claudia, a former recruiter.
“Why not?”
“ Because its bad for business. A fat person hurts the company’s image. It says the company is sloppy and not disciplined.”
“So you don’t buy into the theory genetics plays a big role in weight?”
“No. I believe its all about self-discipline."
"Isn’t that discrimination?"" I implored.
"I think it's different," defended Claudia, "Fat people make others feel uncomfortable and that’s not good business.”
"Well," I said, "I think you could substitute any minority in that same sentence and at one time businesses felt uncomfortable with women, blacks, Hispanics, and gays.”
Claudia concluded, “The difference is you don’t have to be fat. It’s a choice.”
I wasn’t surprised at Claudia’s response. She is obsessed about her weight, my weight and her daughter’s weight. Heaven forbid we go from thick-wasted to super-waisted.
The fact is people who are overweight have a difficult time proving discrimination and an even more difficult time fighting it. There are very few situations that would allow someone to file a discrimination claim based on weight.
Meanwhile, businesses are doing their part to tell people of size that corporate life may not be for them.
In an article, written in 2003 on the Fox News website,Liz Porteus writes about companies who actually pay employees to lose weight. The rationale: it’s less costly than paying for insurance. In the article Porteus writes
The cost of obesity (search) to U.S. businesses -- for health care, sick leave and life and disability insurance -- is estimated at $12.7 billion a year, according to the American Journal of Health Promotion. And the Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) said obesity is associated with 39 million lost workdays and 63 million doctor visits a year.
These numbers add up, especially when almost two-thirds of American adults are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (search).
This is not good news for people of size. The prejudice against the fat is so deep and so ingrained that it is a workplace discrimination that is going to be much more difficult to overcome than your garden variety prejudice.
Here’s the thing--Fat is different than other discriminated groups. Most of us know just a few more nachos and a little less exercise could tip the scales and throw us into the world of fat bias.
That makes it unique.And scary.It's one thing to hope you don't gain weight. It's something entirely different to know that your job could depend on it.
If you think you have been discriminated at work because of your size, drop me a note. I'd love to share your story. As always I'll change your name and not mention where you work. I know you could lose your job for talking to me.
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