Are fat people equal?
You may have heard the news that Massachusetts is considering passing a new bill to protect overweight and unusually short people from discrimination at work. US State Representative Byron Rushing, who introduced the bill, sees it as a civil rights issue. Studies suggest that obesity can hold back people's careers - the tricky question is to what extent is being overweight a choice?
What do you think? Are fat people equal in society? And is an anti-discrimination bill the best way to make sure that employers treat them fairly?
We came across this very interesting article by Mary Carmichael of the Boston Globe, which lays out a lot of the issues raised by the proposed bill.
If most very overweight people who diet eventually gain back the weight they lose, then is it wrong to assume that being fat is their fault? And if being fat is something that is out of people's control, like gender or race, is it unfair to discriminate against them at job interviews?
What about jobs that require people to be fit or lift heavy objects, and the fact that overweight workers are more likely to take sick leave?
We'd love to hear what you think. Get in touch by posting a comment below, text us on +44 77 86 20 60 80, or call us at +44 207 557 0635.
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