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Does body weight affect wages? Evidence from Europe
Giorgio Brunello1, Béatrice D'Hombres
1University of Padova, Department of Economics, IZA and CESifo, Via del Santo 22, 35 122 Padova, Italy. giorgio.brunello@unipd.it
Economics and Human Biology
|December 19, 2006
Summary
Higher body mass index is linked to lower wages across Europe. This wage penalty is more significant for males and in Southern European labor markets, indicating body weight impacts earnings.
Area of Science:
- Economics
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Body weight and body mass index (BMI) are increasingly recognized as factors influencing socioeconomic outcomes.
- Previous research has explored the relationship between weight and earnings, but cross-European comparisons with detailed labor market segmentation are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of body weight, measured by body mass index (BMI), on wages in nine European countries.
- To examine regional differences in the BMI-earnings relationship within Europe, specifically comparing Northern and Southern regions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the European Community Household Panel survey.
- Employed regression analysis, pooling data across countries and years, and estimating separate models for Northern and Southern Europe.
Main Results:
- A 10% increase in average body mass index (BMI) was associated with a 3.27% decrease in real earnings for males and a 1.86% decrease for females.
- The negative association between BMI and earnings was found to be larger and statistically significant in Southern Europe compared to Northern Europe.
Conclusions:
- Body weight, as indicated by BMI, has a discernible negative impact on earnings across European labor markets.
- Labor market and societal factors in Southern Europe may exacerbate the negative economic consequences of higher body mass index compared to Northern Europe.
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