Previously on our blog, we have looked into racial and gender inequality in businesses. But, there is one topic in this sector we are yet to discuss, unfortunately, this is weight discrimination. Can an employer discriminate against you due to your weight?

Whilst businesses shouldn’t discriminate against you due to your weight, it does happen a lot in the working world. This is not just one way. Employers can discriminate against you due to you being overweight or less commonly underweight. Whilst this should not happen, it can occur from employers unintentionally. Whilst there is not much you can do if you do not have evidence of this discrimination occurring in the workplace, it can be disheartening. If you do have evidence, for example, all the workers you see being of a similar body type and you not being given the job, you can use a lawyer to take them to court against discrimination.

Some of the working industries that you will notice the most weight discrimination in include:

Modelling – Modelling agencies want their models to be a certain body type, shape, with a certain overall look. So unfortunately this means a lot of people do get discriminated against due to their weight. However, plus-size models are becoming more popular as time passes.

Construction – Another, but the less common industry is construction. You will hardly ever see majorly overweight construction workers. This tends to be down to the employers believing they will not be cut out for the physical work needed in the industry.

Whilst these careers may struggle with weight discrimination, this does not mean you will not get a job in the industry, The best thing you can do is apply and hope they see the potential in you. You never know unless you try.