The experiences of overweight women with stigma and prejudice in the workplace

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the experiences of women who believe they are stigmatised or discriminated against in Icelandic companies because they are overweight. The focus is on women, as foreign studies have shown that women are significantly more likely to experience and report discrimination in the workplace related to body image. The discrimination that has been studied explores how weight affects wages, the possibility of being promoted to a management position when the applicant is overweight and how weight affects the general hiring and firing process. Interviews were conducted with seven women who had been working for a minimum of five years. The women were between 25 and 46 years old at the time of the study. The group had different work experiences and came from different economic sectors. The results show that all the women had experienced offensive remarks, demeaning behaviour at work and even losing their jobs, which they could directly relate to their appearance or weight. They have also experienced being asked to work harder to be recognised as equal to others. All of this led to anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and other negative effects on their mental health. With this study, there is hope that managers and other employees will be more accepting and aware of these behaviours, which are often hidden or simply accepted.