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Overweight Women Might Have a Lower Glass Ceiling

Posted on Apr 17th 2009 3:00PM by Bethany Sanders

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Loss

Working hard to climb that corporate ladder but can't seem to get ahead? It might be your weight holding you back. It seems that being overweight or obese might lower that oh-so-frustrating glass ceiling that women who want to climb to the top have to deal with. Interestingly, a large waistline might actually help men get ahead.

Here's the scoop: In one study, researchers compiled photographs of top male and female CEOs from 1,000 leading U.S. companies. Raters with expertise in determining body weight ranked the photos as normal, overweight or obese.

What they found is that compared to the U.S. population, overweight and obese women are greatly underrepresented among top CEOs:

Twenty-two percent of female bosses are overweight, while 29 percent of American women are.
Sixty-one percent of male bosses had packed on the pounds, compared with a 41 percent national average.
Only five percent of CEOs -- regardless of gender -- were obese, despite a 36 to 38 percent national average.

So basically, that old stereotype that men should be big (but not too big) and women should be slender still persists. "It appears that the glass ceiling effect on women's advancement may reflect not only general negative stereotypes about the competencies of women, but also weight bias that results in the application of stricter appearance standards to women," says Mark Roehling, Michigan State University professor of human resources.

Women have a lot of hurdles to jump over to make it to the top. Glass ceilings, aside, once family comes along, the workload for women easily doubles, and now they're also expected to look great in a business suit? So frustrating. Here's what I think: Fitz said it best this week when she told a mom that giving 100 percent to her family and nothing to herself wasn't a perfect equation. Forget those old stereotypes and focus on spending time on yourself -- make a healthy dinner and get in a workout. A healthy lifestyle will give you confidence and energy, and in my book, that goes a lot farther than how you fill out a skirt and heels.

What do you think about these findings? Have you seen evidence of these stereotypes in your own workplace?

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Tags: CEO, corporate-ladder, glass-ceiling, men, obese, overweight, women, womens-health

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Deadharbor 4-17-2009 @ 5:04PM

I wouldn't take anything from this study. How do we know cause and effect - which is which. Most overweight women have a lower self esteem and that could result in them under-achieving in their career.

Personally, I can confidently say that weight doesn't affect my judgement of a person at their job. When I see a competent person, I see a competent person, regardless of their weight.

pphleabis 4-18-2009 @ 9:59PM

I think people are constantly judged by their weight (appearance). Fat people are judged as overindulgent and sloppy. I was embarrassed by my weight until I lost 47 pounds in 6 weeks using the Rapidthin diet at www.rapidthin.com. Good luck to all. Use what works for you.

fantom_skribbler 4-19-2009 @ 11:51PM

The study appears somewhat valid but the sample size may not be large enough. Also there may be lurking variables that are causing those results. Many of my past and present female bosses are overweight, however, they only gained weight after becoming the boss because the work was sedentary. Perhaps, though, it is not their weight , but the underlying psychological attitudes and behaviors that prevent them from getting ahead. I know at least one person who has turned down several jobs because they were too physically challenging, as a result, she became overweight. Also if your job is sedentary, then you must balance that out with exercise or diet adjustments. Instead of watching "Biggest Looser" on TV, you can be the "Biggest Winner" and take a walk around outside! Its all about choices, make sure you make the right ones.