title: An investigation of weight bias against women and its associations with individual difference factors.
abstract: This study explored weight bias against women from different weight categories in relation to occupational decisions, child adoption, and helping behaviour, as well as individual difference correlates of weight bias. A total of 1024 participants were randomly assigned to one of five conditions in which they were asked to select the women they would most and least likely hire, promote, or terminate, select for parental adoption, or assist following a traffic accident. They also completed measures of anti-fat attitudes, fat phobia, and attitudes toward obese persons. Results showed bias against both emaciated and obese women across conditions, and suggested that bias was strongest in relation to hiring and weakest in relation to helping behaviour. Further results showed that only greater concern about becoming fat significantly predicted weight bias. These results suggest that weight bias may affect women at both ends of the weight continuum, which require measures to reduce discrimination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, London, UK. v.swami@wmin.ac.uk
authors.forename: Viren
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Swami
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pietschnig
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stieger
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tovée
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Voracek
mesh_terms: D001317:Austria; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice; D012928:Social Desirability; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*