Slide 1BackgroundSlide 3Slide 4ResponsibilityWorldviews, Values, & NormsTypes of DiscriminationDiscrimination continued...Intergroup ConflictIntragroup ConflictNAAFANAAFA continued…Percentage of U.S. Adults with BMI > 30% by StateLearning OutcomesReferencesWeight-based DiscriminationMulticultural CommunicationJason MayfieldBackgroundWhat are the Issues of Weight Discrimination? Discrimination towards fat people in the workplace, education system, and healthcare system has been clearly documented and is growing rapidly. Weight discrimination was reported by 7% of US adults in 1995-96, and almost doubled to 12% by 2006 (www.naafa.org).What are the Origins of Weight Discrimination? Views about weight have gone from favorable to unfavorable over the centuries. In 1909, Oscar Rogers of New York Life Insurance warned that being 10 pounds overweight would shorten life (Kelly, 2006, p.202). Since then, not only have insurance companies made an issue about weight, but physicians, educators, the government, and society in general. Research and social policy on weight bias and discrimination are behind to the point that negative attitudes based on weight have been labeled the last acceptable form of discrimination (Puhl & Brownell, 2001, p. 788). Why are Women Targeted More than Men? Research is finding that not only are a higher percentage of women overweight than men, but that this type of discrimination is even more common against women than it is for men (Griffin, 2007, 633). There are several factors that can be attributed to this; male privilege, women as sex symbols, and intra-gender discrimination based on weight. Each of these things has led our society to a place where overweight women are seen as less than others.Source: www.divahealth.orgSource: www.cdc.govResponsibilityWho is Responsible? In the United States, society, in general, has chosen not to make discrimination against overweight people a priority. When people hear their politicians, doctors, teachers, neighbors, family members, and media talking about how fat people need to just quit being lazy and lose weight it only reinforces their feelings. Therefore, it is important to understand why so many people see weight discrimination as an acceptable practice in our society. Why Does This Form of Discrimination Persist? There are three fundamental ideologies behind antidiscrimination law and theory and they are: 1. It is wrong to discriminate against a person for a characteristic they cannot control.2. Capable people should not be prevented from contributing to the economy and society.3. It may be wrong to discriminate when the result is an impingement on fundamental rights, freedoms, or human dignity. (Solovay, 2000, p. 27). Many Americans don’t believe that overweight people fit one or more of the fundamentals above and therefore, discrimination against them is okay. We live in a society that values individualism and personal responsibility. Both of these values are about being in control of oneself. Secondly, our society does not see overweight people as capable of contributing to our society because it assumes all overweight people are lazy.Worldviews, Values, & NormsWomen in America Women in the United States are part of American culture, but they are also part of their own sub-culture. Like other cultures, they share worldviews, values, and norms that guide them through life. WorldviewsEstablish position through achievementLive as equals with menUse language as a way to build relationshipsValuesAcceptance – desire to be accepted, despite sizeFreedom – ability to be free to make choices for oneselfDignity – being treated with honor and respectNormsEngage in interviews to gain employmentAttending a university of choiceGoing to doctor’s office for regular check-upsSource: www.telegraph.co.ukTypes of DiscriminationWhat are the Types of Discrimination Experienced and How is it Affecting Overweight Women? Each of the forms of discrimination that follow is due, in part, to the stereotypes that many have about overweight women in this society. It comes from the attributes that we assign to the group which then leads to stereotyping. Weight-Based Employment DiscriminationNot only do overweight individuals experience discrimination during the interview, but if they get the job, they experience it from co-workers as well. When 450 NAAFA members were surveyed, 70% of them said they were questioned about their weight by co-workers or urged to lose weight (Solovay, 2000, p. 105).Sixty percent of women and forty percent of men reported having been discriminated against at their place of work (Griffin, 2007, p. 631).Discrimination against overweight women leads to lower self-confidence which results in a reluctance to apply for jobs, especially those dealing with the public, and for higher positions in which the selection is based on more subjective criteria (Griffin, 2007, p. 635).Discrimination continued...Weight-Based Healthcare DiscriminationIn a survey of 400 doctors, conducted by Klein, Najman, Kohrman, & Munro, published in the Journal of Family Practice, many of the medical professionals associated obesity with poor hygiene, lack of intelligence, lack of success, dishonesty, and hostility (Brownell, 2006, p. 30). While most healthcare providers will not explicitly state their negative feelings about overweight patients, their biases do cause them to avoid the topic or administer unsuccessful treatments options.Twenty-four percent of nurses said they are “repulsed” by obese people (Puhl & Brownell, 2001, p. 788). Weight discrimination in healthcare leads to reluctance to seek medical care and doctors engaging less in communicating with their overweight patients.Weight-Based Educational DiscriminationTwenty-eight percent of teachers in one study said that becoming obese is the worst thing that can happen to a person (Puhl & Brownell, 2001, p. 788). Research has found that overweight students who would benefit from physical education activity are less likely to participate because of teasing. Being female, having fewer athletic abilities, and being overweight can cause many students to feel uncomfortable (Brownell, 2006, p. 71).Controlling for income and grades, parents provide less college support for their overweight than for their thin children (Puhl & Brownell, 2001, p. 788).Intergroup ConflictWhat Kind of Intergroup Conflict Exists in