Social Class and Obesity: An Association between BMI and Occupational Prestige

It has been well established that physical appearance plays a role in the hiring decision, especially for women. However, the association between occupational prestige and image has not been well documented. As the use of regression analysis does not imply causality, this study focuses on the association between obesity and occupational prestige. Utilizing data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), this study seeks to extend the literature by analyzing the relationship between occupational prestige and the observed differences in ranking by body mass index (BMI). Adjusting for sociodemographic factors, this study concludes that an inverse relationship between BMI and occupational ranking is observed among women, while a positive association exists among men. The use of ordinary least squares modeling does not permit the exclusion that these associations are due to obesity alone, as there could be other unobserved characteristics influencing this relationship. However, the associations found can be a critical component in the attainment of occupational prestige and show that gender differences are present.