Effect of Gender and Weight on Impressions of Competence

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Effect of Gender and Weight on Impressions of
Competence

• By Ashley Ubelhor, Erin Leahy, and Kylie Mauer

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Effect of Weight on Earnings

• Yeager (2006) Drastic weight loss pay increase
• McEvoy (1994) Weight discrimination in
  professional settings
• Wiscombe (2002) Weight and earnings
• Wang (2004) and Berg (2001) Anti-fat bias

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Hypothesis

• We expected thinner individuals would be rated
  higher than the heavier individuals in terms of
  competency.
• We also expected that men would be rated as more
  competent than women (Lott, 1985).

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Methods

• Participants
• 40 participants
• 65 female
• Age 18-22 (average 20)
• Procedure
• Online questionnaire
• 10 photographs varying in weight and gender

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Photographs
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Photographs (continued)
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Methods (continued)

• Answered two questions based on their perceived
  competency
• What is the likelihood that this person has a
  college degree?
• If you were a CEO of a major corporation, how
  likely would you be to hire this person in a
  senior administrative position?
• Five point scale- 1 being very unlikely and 5
  being very likely

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Effect of gender and weight on competence

• Hypotheses Supported
• Gender, p.01
• Weight, p
• Linear Contrast, p
• No interaction

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Relevant Cultural Issues

• Weight as stigma in workplace
• Thinner women more competent than overweight
  women (Alley, 1994 Wade DiMaria, 2003).
• White women- thinness is associated with beauty
  (Cohn Adler, 1992 Cunningham et al., 1995
  Monello Mayer, 1963 Wade DiMaria, 2003).

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Issues (continued)

• Gender Differences
• Men more competent than women
• The number of men in high-position jobs exceeds
  the number of women (Saulet, 2002).
• Men receive a higher salary than women (Saulet,
  2002).

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Limitations

• Manipulation Checks
• Diverse Population
• Wider Age Range
• Uniform Photographs

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Conclusion

• Thin people were viewed as more competent than
  overweight people.
• Men were viewed as more competent than women.
• Potential Problems

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Questions?????