You earn what you weigh: the effect of physical constitution and type of job on remuneration in a simulated personnel selection context (Ganas lo que pesas: el efecto de la complexión física y el tipo de trabajo sobre la remuneración en un contexto simulado de selección de personal)

ABSTRACT

Overweight people suffer from workplace discrimination, and they also tend to be perceived as less competent yet warmer than people with an average physical constitution. This study uses an experimental between-subjects design to investigate whether the greater warmth perceived in overweight people may become a beneficial factor (e.g., by receiving higher remuneration) when applying for certain jobs where warmth is an important dimension. The results indicated that for a job where likeability and warmth are important (party entertainer), the candidate received higher remuneration when they were presented as an overweight person than when they were presented as having an average physical constitution. Finally, we discuss the possible implications of this study for hiring departments, as well as possible strategies to lower workplace discrimination as a consequence of physical constitution.