Subtle increases in BMI within a healthy weight range still reduce women's employment chances in the service sector
Abstract
Using mixed design analysis of variance (ANOVA), this paper investigates the effects of a subtle simulated increase in adiposity on women’s employment chances in the service sector. Employing a unique simulation of altering individuals’ BMIs and the literature on “aesthetic labour”, the study suggests that, especially for women, being heavier, but still within a healthy BMI, deleteriously impacts on hireability ratings. The paper explores the gendered dimension of this prejudice by asking whether female employees at the upper end of a healthy BMI range are likely to be viewed more negatively than their overtly overweight male counterparts. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these findings.
Citation
Nickson , D , Timming , A R , Re , D & Perrett , D I 2016 , ' Subtle increases in BMI within a healthy weight range still reduce women's employment chances in the service sector ' , PLoS One , vol. 11 , no. 9 , e0159659 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159659
Publication
PLoS One
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1932-6203Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright: © 2016 Nickson et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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