Abstract
Previous research has shown that job applicants may be discriminated against in hiring practices due to appearance. The purpose of this study is to determine if discrimination will occur against overweight job applicants who are applying for highly visible and communicative jobs. Attribution theory may explain negative attitudes toward overweight individuals in the workplace. In order to determine if negative attributes would be given to overweight job applicants, a between-subjects experimental design was used for this study. Results showed that participants did not rate the overweight job applicant lower than the average-weight applicant on communication or personality characteristics. Participants did rate the overweight applicant lower than the average-weight applicant on visibility.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Communication
Volume
40
Issue
2
First Page
181
Last Page
201
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Smith, Frances L.M.
(2008)
"Sizing Things Up: The Effects of Weight on the Evaluation of Job Candidates,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 40:
No.
2, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol40/iss2/5
Copyright
©2008 Iowa Communication Association
