Body Weight Discrimination Against Women in Customer-Facing Roles: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The thin feminine body ideal in Western society has persisted, despite becoming less representative of the female population, with obesity rates consistently rising since the 1980s. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated obesity rates, due to curtailed interventions, restricted mobility/enforced physical inactivity and increased reliance on processed food with a longer shelf life due to social isolation (World Obesity Foundation, n.d.). Individuals with obesity report weight discrimination in a broad range of settings, including employment, where researchers have documented weight discrimination in relation to hiring, job assignment, promotion, remuneration and work stability. Weight discrimination may be worse for jobs involving public interaction, particularly for women, because heavier women do not conform to societal body ideals, leading to weight stigmatisation such as anti-fat attitudes and beliefs (e.g. negative stereotypes) and prejudice. This chapter presents a systematic literature review of studies that have examined weight discrimination against women with obesity in jobs involving public interaction, i.e. ‘customer-facing roles’.

Citation

Grant, S., Mizzi, T. and O’Loghlen, E. (2023), "Body Weight Discrimination Against Women in Customer-Facing Roles: A Systematic Literature Review", Broadbridge, A. (Ed.) The Emerald Handbook of Appearance in the Workplace, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 75-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-174-720230005