According to a new study at Western University, obese women in Canada make less money than non-obese women.
The study came from Sisira Sarma, PhD, and his team from Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
They compared three outcomes in obese women and non-obese women – labour market participation, the hourly wage rate and personal annual income.
The study found that obese women earn roughly 4 per cent less in hourly wages and 4.5 per cent less in annual income.
In a release, Sarma feels there may be a few reasons for the difference in income.
“Women who are obese may be discriminated against due to a perception by some employers that they may be less productive,” said Sarma. “Employers may offer jobs at a less competitive rate, or women who are obese settle for jobs with a lower income. However, having a lower income may be the cause of obesity.”
The data also reveals differences between obese and non-obese women in terms of education level and health.
In 2010 and 2011, 10.5 per cent of obese women reported having less than a high school education, compared with 5.73 per cent of non-obese women.
During the same period, 47.06 per cent of obese woman had a post-secondary education compared with 58.97 per cent of non-obese women.
