Are there laws against weight discrimination

Or is that against the law? The answer is more complicated than you might think. The Americans with Disability Act ADA contains many provisions which provide legal protections for many different people.

The ADA does not include specific provisions that protect someone based on their weight. In addition, some obese Americans nationwide may be protected by the ADA in certain circumstances. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters.

If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Related Stories. Already a print subscriber? Go here to link your subscription. Need help? Employers usually have many different thoughts when it comes to overweight employees in the workplace. Seventy percent, the vast majority, of employers believe that the condition is genetic. Fifty seven percent of employers believe that it is a result of poor willpower and that obesity is a disease.

Forty four percent of employers also believe that it is simply caused by poor life choices. Many direct negative results come from such discrimination. It was reported that heavy women earned nine thousand dollars less on average than those who were at a normal weight. Very heavy women earned as much as nineteen thousand dollars less. In general averages, obese men and obese women earn two and four, respectively, less dollars per hour than their more even-weight counterparts.

Obesity in employees can end up costing employers as much as one to six thousand additional dollars in expenses every year. Obesity alone can cost employers as much as seventy three billion dollars every year, in terms of health care hours, general productivity, and lost work.

Over ten percent of United States corporate healthcare costs are directly related to obesity and its various complications. Obese people, on average, will cost more than twice what healthy people do, in terms of medical claims, sick days, and other disability programs.

While obesity is a serious problem that affects many Americans, many think that it should be handled with a higher level of tact and dignity. Results: In light of the ADA Amendments Act, courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission have provided protection for severely obese people from discrimination based on actual or perceived disability in the employment context.

Conclusion: The authors discuss this positive legal development and additionally propose a targeted solution to address weight discrimination in the employment setting.

National polling suggests there is considerable public support for such a measure.