RUDDREPORT

APolicyBrief

WEIGHTBIAS

INTRODUCTIONSciencehasdocumentedclear,consistentevidencethatpeoplewithhighbodyweightfacediscriminationinemployment,education,andhealthcare.Inacountrywheretwooutofthreeadultsisaffectedbyoverweightorobesity,weightbiasimpactsmillions.EvidencefromnationalstudiesshowsthatweightdiscriminationisoneofthemostcommonformsofdiscriminationreportedbyAmericans,andthatratesofweightdiscriminationhaveincreased.

WEIGHTBIAS

• Impairsphysicalandpsychologicalhealth

• Reducesearningpotential • Affectshiringandemployment

opportunities • Affectsacademicopportunities

andachievement

Weightbiasstems,inpart,frominaccuratesocietalstereotypesthatpeoplewhohaveahighbodyweightarelazy,andlackingself-disciplineorwillpower,andfromfalsebeliefsthatstigmawillmotivatepeopletoloseweight.Unfairlyblamingindividualsfortheirhighbodyweightisoftenatthecoreofweightbias.

CONSEQUENCESOFWEIGHTBIASWeightbiasisharmfultohealth.Individualswhoexperienceweightbiasand/ordiscriminationareatriskfornumerousadversehealthconsequencesincludingthefollowing:

PSYCHOLOGICALCONSEQUENCES

• Depression • Anxiety • Lowself-esteem • Poorbodyimage • Substanceabuse • Suicidalthoughts

PHYSICALHEALTHCONSEQUENCES

• Eatingdisorders • Overeating • Weightgain • Obesity • Physiologicalstress • Higherbloodpressure • Metabolicsyndrome • Avoidanceofhealthcare

Weightbiascanhaveasignificantimpactonsocial,economic,psychological,andphysicalhealth.Itisbothanissueofsocialinjustice,andaconcerningpublichealthproblem.

Withoutlegislationtoprotectindividualsfromweightdiscrimination,peoplewillcontinuetofaceharmfulconsequencesfromunfairtreatment,prejudice,andinequities.

BIASINEMPLOYMENTComparedtojobapplicantswiththesamequalifications,applicantswithhighbodyweightareratedmorenegatively,earnless,arelesslikelytobehired,andareviewedtobeunfitforjobsinvolvingface-to-faceinteractions.

A2007studyofover2800Americansfoundthatoverweightadultswere12timesmorelikelytoreportweight-basedemploymentdiscriminationcomparedtothinneradults.Peoplewithobesitywere37timesmorelikelytoreportdiscrimination,andthosewithsevereobesitywere100timesmorelikely.Womenappearparticularlyvulnerable.

Accordingtoresearch,over40%ofpeoplewithhighbodyweightreportthattheyhaveexperiencedweightbiasfromemployersandsupervisors.

“Appearance,especiallyweight,

hasalottodowithadvancing.I

havebeennormalsizeandhave

advanced.ButsinceIhavebeen

heavy,noonewantsme.Ihavea

highIQandmyproductivityis

extremelyhigh.But,noone

cares.”---Employee

Withoutlawstoprohibitweightdiscrimination,peoplewillcontinuetobeunfairlyfired,suspended,ordemotedbecauseoftheirweight–eveniftheydemonstrategoodjobperformanceandevenifbodyweightisunrelatedtotheirjobresponsibilities.

EXAMPLESOFWEIGHTBIAS

INEMPLOYMENT

§ Notbeinghiredbecauseofweight

§ Beingdeniedapromotionbecauseofweight

§ Beingfiredbecauseofweightorfailuretoloseweight

§ Beingthetargetofderogatorycommentsandstigmafromco-workersoremployers

§ Beingpenalizedforweightthroughcompanybenefitsprograms

Tolearnmoreaboutweightbias,visit:

www.uconnruddcenter.org

CURRENTLAWCurrentfederallawsdonotadequatelyaddressweightdiscriminationTheAmericanswithDisabilitiesActof1990(ADA)protectsagainstdiscriminationbasedonarealormisperceiveddisability.SinceCongresspassedtheADAAmendmentsActin2008,severeobesityhasbeenfoundtobeacoveredimpairment.However,thislawonlyprotectsagainstdisabilitydiscrimination–itdoesnotapplywidelytoweightdiscrimination,ortopeoplewhohavebeendiscriminatedagainstbecauseoftheirweightwhohavenodisability.

TheRehabilitationActof1973isinterpretedsimilarlytotheADA.Togetherthesestatutesprotectagainstdisabilitydiscriminationbythefederal,state,andlocalgovernmentsandtheprivatesector.

TheCivilRightsActof1964prohibitsdiscriminationbasedonrace,color,religion,sex,ornationalorigin.Weightisnotincludedasaprotectedclass.

Michiganistheonlystatetheprohibitsdiscriminationagainstpeoplebecauseoftheirweight.

Enactedin1977,theElliott-LarsenCivilRightsActprohibitsdiscriminationbasedon10categories,includingweight,inareassuchasemployment,housing,publicaccommodationsandpublicservice.

SEVERALCITIESANDMUNICIPALITIESHAVELAWSPROHIBITINGWEIGHTDISCRIMINATIONSanFrancisco,CA:TheHumanRightsCommissionadded‘weightandheight’tothemunicipalcodetoensurethatprograms,services,andfacilitieswouldbeaccessible.

SantaCruz,CA:Themunicipalcodeondiscriminationincludes‘height,weight,orphysicalcharacteristics’asprotectedcategories.

Washington,DC:TheHumanRightsLawincludes‘personalappearance’initsprotectedcategories.

Urbana,IL:Acityanti-discriminationordinanceincludes‘height,weight,orphysicalcharacteristics’asprotectedcategories.

Binghamton,NY:Acityanti-discriminationordinanceincludes‘height,weight,orphysicalcharacteristics’asprotectedcategories.

Madison,WI:Acityanti-discriminationordinanceincludes‘height,weight,orphysicalcharacteristics’asprotectedcategories.

THEREISSUBSTANTIALPUBLICSUPPORT

FORLAWSTOPROHIBITWEIGHTDISCRIMINATIONResearchwithnationalsamplesofthousandsofAmericansshowsthatthereiswidespreadsupportforlawstoprotectpeoplefromweightdiscrimination.Asdepictedinthegraphbelow,recentfindingsshowthat:

1) Publicsupportincreasedfrom72%in2011to78%in2015forlegislationthatwouldaddbodyweightasaprotectedclassinCivilRightsstatutes.

2) Publicsupporthasremainedconsistentlyhighat78%ofAmericanswhosupportlawsthatwouldprohibitweight-basedemploymentdiscrimination.

3) Overall,atleast3/4ofAmericansnowsupporttheselegislativemeasures.

ARGUMENT RESPONSE

Weightbias?It’snotabigdeal,andbesides,peoplewhosaynegativethingsaboutpeoplebecauseoftheirweightarejustmakingjokes.

Weightbiasisseriousandpervasive.Itisalegitimateformorprejudicethatleadstoadversesocial,economic,physicalandemotionalconsequencesforpeoplewhohaveahighbodyweight.

Weightisn’tworthyofaprotectedstatus.

Overweightandobesityaffects2/3ofAmericanswhodeserveequitabletreatmentunderthelaw.SeveraldecadesofresearchevidenceconsistentlydocumentweightbiasanddiscriminationasasignificantprobleminAmericansociety–inemployment,healthcare,education,publicservices,andthemedia.

Peoplewhofeeltheyhavebeendiscriminatedagainstalreadyhavealegaloption–theycanusetheAmericanswithDisabilitiesActtoclaimdiscriminationbasedondisability.

Thislawonlyappliestoasmallnumberofpeoplewhohaveexperiencedweightdiscrimination.ClaimingdisabilityusingtheADAhasnotbeensuccessfulexceptwhenapersonissignificantlydisabledduetoillnessorotherconditionsrelatedtobodyweight.Thisisoflittlehelptopeoplewhosufferdiscriminationonadailybasis.Also,labelingpeopleas‘disabled’whohavebeentreatedunfairlybecauseoftheirweightisitselfstigmatizing.

Peoplewhohaveobesitydon’tneedlegalprotection.Iftheywanttoavoiddiscrimination,theyshouldjustloseweight.

Manyyearsofscientificevidenceshowthatsignificantweightlossisdifficulttoachieveandsustainovertime.Onlyasmallpercentageofpeoplecansustainsignificantweightlossovertime.Thishasmuchmoretodowithhumanbiologyandlackofeffectivetreatmentoptionsthanwithpersonalcharacteristicslikewillpowerordiscipline.

Ifyoufightweightstigma,you’lldiscouragepeoplefromtryingtoloseweight.Thecriticismismotivating.

Theoppositeistrue.Researchshowsthatweightstigmacontributestounhealthybehaviorsthatreinforceweightgainandobesity,andinterfereswitheffortstoloseweight.

Weshouldbefocusingoneducationratherthanthelaw.

Educationisimportantbutcan’tsucceedwithoutlegalprotection.Statesdon’trelysolelyoneducationaboutfairnesstostopracialorsexualdiscrimination;rather,theystepintoprotectpeoplewhoaretreatedunfairly.

Anti-discriminationlawswillgeneratealotmorelawsuitsintheworkplace,whichwedon’tneed.

Eachtimeagrouphasbeenaddedtoanti-discriminationregulations,opponentshavepredictedahugeincreaseinlawsuits–andeachtimethepredictionhasbeenwrong.Inthe40yearsthattheMichiganlawhasbeenenforced,ithasresultedinfewlawsuits.

RESPONSESTOCOMMONARGUMENTSAGAINSTPOLICY

Withalloftheworkbeingdonetoreduceobesityinthiscountry,it’sacontradictiontowanttomakepeoplethinnerbutalsoprotectindividualswhohaveahighbodyweight.

Stigma,bias,anddiscriminationaimedatpeoplewithahighbodyweightispervasiveandwrong.Littlehasbeendonetostopthisdiscrimination.Improvingthefoodenvironmenttohelppeoplereachahealthyweightgoeshandinhandwithreducingweightbias.Medicineandpublichealthoffermanyprecedentsforaddressingbothahealthissueandthestigmaassociatedwithit.Forexample:Whenalcoholismwasdeclaredadisease,societalblamedecreasedandresourcesincreasedforprevention.Withcancer,boldandaggressiveeffortsforpreventionproceedside-by-sidewitheffortstoreducestigma.ReducingthestigmatowardspeoplewithAIDSallowedforimportantadvancesintreatmentandprevention.Theaimisnottopunishpeoplewithcancer,substanceabuse,AIDS,mentalillness---orobesity.Quitethecontrary.Itistoprotecttheirbasichumanrights.

Thiskindoflawcouldmakeitdifficultforpublicaccommodations,suchasamusementparkrides,tocomplywithindustrysafetystandardsandregulationsregardingheightandweightrestrictions.

Thisissuecanbeeasilyremediedbyaddingadisclaimersectionattheendofthebillstatingthattheintentofthelegislationisnottointerferewithdutiestocomplywithanystate,federal,orindustrysafetystandards.

POLICYRECOMMENDATIONSToreduceunfairtreatment,inequities,anddiscriminationformillionsofAmericans,itisimperativetoincludebodyweightonthelistofcategoriesthatarecoveredinanti-discriminationlaws.Federal,StateandLocalGovernments:

§ Includeweightasaprotectedclassundercivilandhumanrightsstatutes.§ Createnewweight-basedemploymentdiscriminationlegislationmirroredafter

theAgeDiscriminationinEmploymentAct(ADEA).§ AlignstatedisabilitylawswiththeADAAmendmentsActtocoverweight-based

impairmentsandperceivedimpairments.§

ReferencesBillH.952.AnActMakingDiscriminationontheBasisofHeightandWeightUnlawful.The190thGeneralCourtof

theCommonwealthofMassachusetts.https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H952Dutton,G.R.,Lewis,T.T.,Durant,N.,Halanych,J.,Kiefe,C.I.,etal.(2014).Perceivedweightdiscriminationinthe CARDIAstudy:Differencesbyrace,sex,andweightstatus.Obesity,22,530-536.Elliott-LarsenCivilRightsAct(1976).Retrievedfrom

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/act_453_elliott_larsen_8772_7.pdfPomeranz,J.L.(2008).Ahistoricalanalysisofpublichealth,thelaw,andstigmatizedsocialgroups:Theneedfor

bothobesityandweightbiaslegislation.Obesity,16,S93-S102Pomeranz,J.L.,&Puhl,R.M.(2013).Newdevelopmentsinthelawforobesitydiscriminationprotection.Obesity,

21,469–471.Puhl,R.M.,Andreyeva,T.,&Brownell,K.D.(2008).Perceptionsofweightdiscrimination:Prevalenceand

comparisontoraceandgenderdiscriminationinamerica.InternationalJournalofObesity,32,992–1000.Puhl,R.M.,&Heuer,C.A.(2011).PublicopinionaboutlawstoprohibitweightdiscriminationintheUnitedStates.

Obesity,19,74–82.Puhl,R.M.,Latner,J.D.,O’Brien,K.S.,Luedicke,J.,Daníelsdóttir,S.,&Salas,X.R.(2015).Potentialpoliciesand

lawstoprohibitweightdiscrimination:Publicviewsfrom4countries.MilbankQuarterly,93,691–731.Puhl,R.M.,Suh,Y.(2015).Healthconsequencesofweightstigma:Implicationsforobesitypreventionand

treatment.CurrentObesityReports,4,182-190.Puhl,R.M.,Suh,Y.,&Li,X.(2016).Legislatingforweight-basedequality:Nationaltrendsinpublicsupportforlaws

toprohibitweightdiscrimination.InternationalJournalofObesity,40,1320–1324.Roehling,M.V.,Roehling,P.V.,&Wagstaff,M.F.(2013).Sexdifferencesinperceivedweight-

basedemploymentdiscriminationwhenweightdiscriminationisillegal.EmployeeResponsibilitiesandRightsJournal,25,159–176.

Roehling,M.V.,Pichler,S.,Bruce,T.A.(2013).Moderatorsoftheeffectofweightonjob-relatedoutcomes: Ameta-analysisofexperimentalstudies.JournalofAppliedPsycholgy,43,237-252.Rudolph,C.W.,Wells,C.L.,Weller,M.D.,Baltes,B.B.(2009).Ameta-analysisofempiricalstudiesofweight- basedbiasintheworkplace.JournalofVocationalBehavior,74,1–10.Suh,Y.,Puhl,R.M.,Liu,S.,&FlemingMilici,F.(2014).Supportforlawstoprohibitweight

discriminationintheUnitedStates:Publicattitudesfrom2011to2013.Obesity,22,1872–1879.Sutin,A.R.,&Terracciano,A.(2013).Perceivedweightdiscriminationandobesity.PloSOne,8(7):e70048.

REALCHANGEWILLREQUIRECOMPASSIONANDACLEARMETHODOFDEFENDINGBASICHUMANRIGHTS

ForMoreInformationToaccessresearchpublicationsonweightbias,toolsforresearchers,weblinksandresourcesforhealthprofessionals,andcommunitymembers,visitwww.uconnruddcenter.org.