There's no cake?!"
According to research found in the British journal Equal Opportunities International, as well as the study from Michigan State scholar Mark Roehling. Overweight and obese women are significantly underrepresented among the top CEOs in the United States. Different studies have shown that weight bias may contribute to the glass ceiling on the advancement of women to the top levels of management. Studies have shown that even though being overweight limits opportunities for both men and women, being overweight actually affects female executives more than males. Usually for woman, specifically white Americans, society holds them to harsher weight standard more than men. This pattern has been consistent even previous research as well. This research is the first to focus on the potential effect of weight on career advancement to the highest levels of management. For the study, two groups of experts analyzed publicly available photos of CEOs from Fortune 1000 companies. The expert raters included individuals who were tested prior to the study to determine their accuracy in assessing body weight based on photographs. The medical professionals who were used were experts at estimating weight.
The results of the study showed that only 5 percent of male and female CEOs of big companies were obese (body mass index greater than 30), which is actually lower than the U.S. average which is 36 percent for men and 38 percent for women of similar age. The study also showed that between 45 percent and 61 percent of top male CEOs are overweight. This is higher than the U.S. average of 41 percent in similarly aged men. That means overweight men were actually overrepresented in top CEO positions. When looking at overweight executive women only 5 percent-22 percent of top female CEOs were overweight, compared with the U.S. average of 29 percent among similarly aged women. This study has shown that society has a greater tolerance for large size men in executive positions over women, who are preferred to be smaller. “It appears that the glass ceiling effect on women’s advancement may reflect not only general negative stereotypes about women, but also weight bias that results in the application of stricter appearance standards to women, says Mark Roehling.
The results of the study showed that only 5 percent of male and female CEOs of big companies were obese (body mass index greater than 30), which is actually lower than the U.S. average which is 36 percent for men and 38 percent for women of similar age. The study also showed that between 45 percent and 61 percent of top male CEOs are overweight. This is higher than the U.S. average of 41 percent in similarly aged men. That means overweight men were actually overrepresented in top CEO positions. When looking at overweight executive women only 5 percent-22 percent of top female CEOs were overweight, compared with the U.S. average of 29 percent among similarly aged women. This study has shown that society has a greater tolerance for large size men in executive positions over women, who are preferred to be smaller. “It appears that the glass ceiling effect on women’s advancement may reflect not only general negative stereotypes about women, but also weight bias that results in the application of stricter appearance standards to women, says Mark Roehling.