Too big to hire: factors impacting weight discrimination

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of applicant weight and sex, job type and employer attitudes on employee screening decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants rated one of four job applicants on their hiring suitability for four different entry‐level jobs with high or low visibility and physical demands. Applicants varied in sex and weight as depicted in a photograph, but their job applications were identical.

Findings

Results showed that overweight women experienced weight discrimination when applying for a job that was high in both visibility and physical demands.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should examine weight discrimination in other racial and ethnic groups and with higher‐level jobs. Future research could also examine hiring decisions using a within‐subjects design to allow comparison across job applicants.

Practical implications

Employers' perceptions of applicant weight may lead them to make biased decisions about individuals who are overweight during the hiring process particularly for jobs that are high in visibility and physical demands.

Social implications

There has been an alarming increase in obesity rates in the USA, but there is limited legal protection against weight discrimination. Employers who make stereotyped assumptions about individuals who are overweight may be missing out on valuable workforce talent. Similarly, individuals who are overweight may face discriminatory obstacles in finding work.

Originality/value

This study systematically manipulated two important job characteristics: visibility and physical demands and used a sample of adults as raters.

Citation

Bartels, L.K. and Nordstrom, C.R. (2013), "Too big to hire: factors impacting weight discrimination", Management Research Review, Vol. 36 No. 9, pp. 868-881. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-06-2012-0134