When it comes to beauty and fashion it’s no secret that obese women are not winning the popularity contest, but now a new report shows that heavier women are likely to come face-to -face with some heavy discrimination in the workplace.

According to research published in the International Journal of Obesity overweight women were more likely to be denied employment, receive lower salaries, and perceived to have less leadership potential. The study asked participants to view resumes that came with photos of the potential employees.

The photos were before and after images of women who had undergone bariatric surgery. Participants were then asked to make judgments on the applicant’s suitability, starting salary, and employability based on the photos.

Psychologist and lead researcher Dr Kerry O’Brien found that:

“Strong obesity discrimination was displayed across all job selection criteria, such as starting salary, leadership potential, and likelihood of selecting an obese candidate for the job.”

The results also showed that the more body obsessed the potential employer was, the more likely they were to stick to prejudices and turn down heavier employees.

While it is true in many cases that obese employees cost employers money in health care and paid time off, discrimination against a candidate based on weight is against the law. As long as the person can perform the job they are interviewing for, does it really matter what size they are?

Do you think it’s fair for overweight candidates to be discriminated against in the workplace?