Recently, a hospital in Texas
said that they would not hire anyone over a certain Body Mass Index. One might
think that this would be to promote a healthier looking hospital, but there is
no minimum Body Mass Index so the hospital would only discriminate against
people who weigh more. Obviously weight has no relation to ones ability to
perform a nursing job and this can even exclude great candidates from getting a
job.
As we
talked about in class, it is impossible for people to not be prejudice, many
people aren’t hired based on their weight and unlike the hospital in Texas, and
weight isn’t a requirement for the job. Michigan
is the only state that has a law saying that you can’t not hire someone based
on their weight. Women are also more likely to not get the job based on their
weight rather than men.
According
to a study from the University of Texas, ugly people are also facing
discrimination when it comes to jobs. (There is a funny clip from The Daily Show about this)
This is a
growing problem and clearly something that is unjust. The problem with this
type of discrimination is that a large part of it isn’t intentional.
- Hallie Brown
- Hallie Brown
First of all, I do agree that it is wrong to discriminate based on weight. However, I can also see why hospitals would want workers that are in moderately good shape. Most jobs in the hospital require large amounts of walking, long hours, and sometimes small spaces to work in. Someone that is heavier might not be able to complete their job as well as others that aren’t heavily overweight. Weight can actually have an effect on someone’s ability to do their job.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that less attractive people being discriminated against is something that is, basically, subconsciously done. It is, I believe, in human nature to prefer to associate with someone that is marginally attractive. However, I think that interviewers are less inclined to pick someone based solely on their physical attributes. All employers want competent employees.