Are Thin People More Likely To Get Jobs Than Fat People?
Wednesday, October 26, 2005Posted in: Uncategorized
Apparently, fat people find it harder to get jobs and promotion than thin people, an online British survey revealed yesterday.
This poll was taken from 2000 human resources managers, half of whom, believed that weight issues affected productivity. The same number thought that bigger people lacked discipline.
Also, according to the survey:
“More than 90 per cent of bosses admit that when they get an overweight and a slim candidate of the same ability, they are more likely to hire the worker of “normal” size.”
Now, I can probably understand this discrimination for a physical role, but I’m not sure what difference it makes if you’re going for a job as a secretary or an accountant.
The survey also revealed that:
“One in 10 would not want a large employee to meet a client and the same percentage believed they could give a worker the boot just for being obese.”
WTF?
Yahoo also has a message board that was set up specifically to discuss the survey’s findings. These are some of the more notable comments:
“overweight people are likely to suffer more health problems; that they are less likely to have stamina for arduous work; that they will be less able to perform physical tasks.”
“They may also be thought to be less intelligent than slimmer people; that they may sweat more profusely and cause offence to the (paying) public.”
“They look less attractive (and thus lose business); and they will downgrade a company’s public image.”
The reason that this discrimination even exists is because of the ridiculous ideals that we are constantly barraged with, so I’m not really surprised that employees and other people feel this way.
It seems a shame that once again, people are being judged on their external appearance, rather than their internal qualities, but until the ‘thin-equals-beautiful’ media-led propoganda that is continuously waged before our very eyes ceases, then I’m afraid that the status quo will stay as is.
This is obviously a British survey, but I wonder if the answers would have been any different in the States?
Full results:
www.personneltoday.com
Other related articles:
Anonymous
October 26
4:08 pm
If I had to choose betwen a fat person and thin person, I’d go for thin every time. As cruel as it is, the facts are, thin people get further in life than fat people. Yoy just have to watch TV to realise that.
Desiree Erotique
October 26
4:52 pm
I can think of several persons who have proved that being fat doesn’t negate one’s facility for success or competence. There’s Oprah Winfrey (pre-diet days), Beverly Sills, Luciano Pavarotti, Winston Churchill and John Goodman to name a few. So, as a “thin” person I can’t help but wonder who participated in this survey!
Anne
October 26
5:11 pm
Well I for one am FAT and it does NOT affect my job one single bit. I can see why you’d want to remain anonymous- Anonymous. I would too if I had such a sh*tty outlook. Do you discriminate against race too? Men versus women? Or is it just FAT PEOPLE?
Anonymous
October 26
6:36 pm
I have absolutely nothing against fat people all I’m saying is that it makes sense that thin people would be chosen over fat people 9 times out of ten. The only people who will disagree are people who happen to be fat. You can’t deny that people who are obese have much greater health issues than thin people.
Spider Goodlegs
October 26
6:43 pm
My former boss made no bones about the fact that he would not have hired any of us had we been fat. He called himself a fatist. Mind you, the men who worked with me were all out of shape and soft like loaves of bread, but yes, he was a total fatist.
It’s real people.
Charlie Horse
October 27
12:03 am
That’s an appalling survey. I hire a lot of people at my company and weight has NOTHING TO DO with whether or not someone gets a job.
By the way great site 🙂
Rocio
October 27
12:45 am
That´s a tough issue even in the third world. A long time ago here only rich people could be fat! So for old people here fat means wealthy!
But lately yes, it is more common and more a problem. I have been on the chubby side myself but I think for most works, fat can be a problem…and ther´s always the big chance of keep going fatter!
Rosie
October 27
2:26 am
Geez I’ve typed this thing three times now because I really got fired up.
Let me say first before I tick people off, that I myself am on the fat side of the line. I’m not thin nor can I be considered normal size. I wear 1X if that means anything to you.
We all know that not only FAT affects our perception of people. I’ve interviewed and hired people. Fat alone was never the factor that kept me from not hiring someone. Are they qualified? Are they presentable? Are they articulate? These are important.
However, if it came down to two identical candidates, I would pick the person I “liked” the most. Part of liking the candidate for me is if they are neat and tidy and presentable. Weight could be a factor in that.
I myself have never NOT gotten a job I’ve gone after. I’ve been promoted and affirmed every where I’ve worked. I think appearance matters more to some bosses, and for certain sure in some industries more than others.
I’m not surprised by the survey. These are things we all know to be true in our own day-to-day lives.
Stereotypes suck!
Jaid Black
November 2
1:19 pm
Ellora’s Cave has several obese women who work tirelessly behind the scenes, myself being one of them. It has never adversely affected our public perception. So long as the person is well-groomed, there is never a problem. We judge by the affability factor. Cordial, friendly, witty, intelligent… vendors respond better to those attributes than to a lifeless stick every time.