Fat People Don't Earn Fat Paychecks

By Connor Adams Sheets | December 20 2011 1:16 PM

Fat Americans earn significantly less than their skinny co-workers, and the gap is even worse for chunky women than for overweight men .

Flickr

Added Sugars Are 13 Percent Of U.S. Adults’ Calorie Intake; Younger Men Are Biggest Consumers, Says CDC Report

Sponsorship Link

Obese women earned $8,666 less each than their thin colleagues in 2004, according to a George Washington University study quoted in a U.S. News and World Report article that looked at data in the National Longitudinal Survey of youth. Fat men also lost out, though by a slimmer margin, earning only $4,772 less than their less-stocky colleagues, the study showed.

This research broadens the growing body of evidence that shows that in addition to taxing health, obesity significantly affects personal finances, Christine Ferguson, a professor in the GWU department of health policy, said in a statement sent to the US News and World Report . It also reinforces how prevalent stigma is when it comes to weight-related health issues.

But the trend may be improving, as in 2008 fat women earned $5,826 percent less than their trimmer co-worker, the study revealed.

It is also oddly affected by weight, as obese black men made more than normal-sized black men in the 2008 study, while black women all recieved approximately equal pay.

Obese Latinas earned $6,618 less than their twiggy Latina colleagues in 2004, the study showed.