Fat pay gaps: wage consequences of overweight and obesity by sexual orientation

Purpose While a significant body of research establishes a negative relationship between overweight and wages, the extent to which the wage-BMI gradient varies across sexual orientations remains understudied. Using the latest released cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), and an intersectional framework, we explore how the incidence of overweight and obesity predicts wages by sexual orientation. Design/methodology/approach We pool multiple cycles of the CCHS and make our estimations by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). Findings Among women, we find that overweight heterosexuals are the highest earning group while normal weight bisexuals earn the least. Among men too, overweight heterosexuals are the highest earning group, but overweight bisexuals earn the least. Channels of impact are explored. Originality/value This is the first study of wage consequences of overweight/obesity by sexual orientation using Canadian data. Additionally, the paper is the first to focus on the labour market outcomes of Canadian bisexuals.