36% of workers say they have been discriminated against based on their appearance

New York City is currently poised to pass a bill that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of height or weight, in addition to other protected categories such as age, race, and gender.



The legislation, proposed last year, would amend the city’s administrative code, and will likely be voted on in the coming weeks. (As it stands, the bill includes an exemption for employers “needing to consider height or weight in employment decisions.”)



Cities such as San Francisco and Madison, Wisconsin, have already banned weight discrimination, and state legislatures in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Jersey are currently considering similar policies.



Many say these bills are much needed. According to a recent survey of 1,000 U.S. workers by ResumeBuilder.com, 36% have experienced discrimination in the workplace due to their weight, height, or level of attractiveness. Of this group, 58% say this resulted in them losing motivation, 40% say it caused mental health issues, and 26% say it reduced productivity.



Among survey respondents who self-identified as obese, 71% say they’ve experienced weight discrimination (including 86% of men and 69% of women).



“There’s a significant cohort of the population who feel they are discriminated [against] by physical aspects of their being,” says Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at ResumeBuilder. “We all have to pay attention to what happens in the hiring process, and across the board, and work to mitigate any forms of bigotry or stereotyping in the process.”



Approximately one in five workers say discrimination has prevented them from receiving a promotion.



To be sure, workers across the country have long reported that employers discriminate based on physical appearance.



For instance, fat activists such as Marilyn Wann and Peggy Howell, have highlighted that office chairs, corporate swag, company-wellness programs, and team-travel initiatives often fail to include fat employees.



What’s more, research has repeatedly found that employers are less likely to hire fat workers, and that employers pay fat workers less.



Haller adds that her team received responses from a range of workers who felt they had been discriminated against based on their physical appearance—including for being too thin, too tall, or even too attractive. She suggests that strict gender roles and beauty standards hurt the majority of people who do not fit into society’s narrow definition of beauty and respectability.