White working women, want a pay raise? Lose weight
SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images The United States acknowledges and accepts that it has a weight problem. Obesity has become a serious national issue, with a quarter of the U.S. population considered obese. Health professionals have even spoken out against stigmatizing obese people. It’s surprising, then, that obese people—white women specifically—are discriminated against where it arguably hurts ...
SPENCER PLATT/Getty Images
The United States acknowledges and accepts that it has a weight problem. Obesity has become a serious national issue, with a quarter of the U.S. population considered obese. Health professionals have even spoken out against stigmatizing obese people. It's surprising, then, that obese people—white women specifically—are discriminated against where it arguably hurts the most: in their paychecks.
According to a recent study by David Lempert of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a "statistically significant continual increase in the wage penalty for overweight and obese white women followed throughout two decades." And the trend has increased, even as more Americans have become obese. One way to look at it, the author of the study writes, is that "the increasing rarity of thinness has led to its rising premium."
The United States acknowledges and accepts that it has a weight problem. Obesity has become a serious national issue, with a quarter of the U.S. population considered obese. Health professionals have even spoken out against stigmatizing obese people. It’s surprising, then, that obese people—white women specifically—are discriminated against where it arguably hurts the most: in their paychecks.
According to a recent study by David Lempert of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a “statistically significant continual increase in the wage penalty for overweight and obese white women followed throughout two decades.” And the trend has increased, even as more Americans have become obese. One way to look at it, the author of the study writes, is that “the increasing rarity of thinness has led to its rising premium.”
Moreover, as overweight white women age, their wages suffer correspondingly more over time as they get passed over for promotions and raises. It’s an alarming finding in a country that is supposedly all about non-discrimination in the workplace.
(Hat tip: New Economist)
More from Foreign Policy


Lessons for the Next War
Twelve experts weigh in on how to prevent, deter, and—if necessary—fight the next conflict.


It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
Not planning for the possibility of disintegration betrays a dangerous lack of imagination.


Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The artillery-fired cluster munitions could be lethal to Russian troops—and Ukrainian civilians.


Congrats, You’re a Member of Congress. Now Listen Up.
Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature.