Only the Fit Survive Recessions: Estimating Labor Market Penalties for the Obese Over the Business Cycle

Rachel Inafuku ()
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Rachel Inafuku: University of Hawaii

No 202201, Working Papers from University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Economics

Abstract: There is evidence of labor market discrimination against minority groups based on race, gender, beauty and other characteristics. Using two national surveys, I measure labor market differentials between obese and healthy weight workers over business cycle fluctuations. I find that during economic downturns, obese individuals experience larger declines in income relative to those who are not obese. These findings are robust to the inclusion of occupation fixed effects, suggesting the findings cannot be fully explained by obese workers selecting careers that tend to have greater sensitivity to business cycle fluctuations.

JEL-codes: E29 I14 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-lma
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