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Do unions reduce the wage penalty experienced by obese women?

Author

Listed:
  • Ron Debeaumont

    (Black Hills State University)

  • Christian Nsiah

    (Baldwin Wallace University)

Abstract

Unions have been shown to reduce wage inequality, thus resulting in higher wages for certain disadvantaged groups. Overweight individuals, especially women, generally receive lower wages than thinner individuals with similar socioeconomic characteristics. This paper demonstrates that union wage protection extends to overweight women in the U.S. Specifically, obese women do not experience a wage penalty when employed in jobs covered by collective bargaining.

Suggested Citation

  • Ron Debeaumont & Christian Nsiah, 2016. "Do unions reduce the wage penalty experienced by obese women?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 36(1), pages 281-290.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-14-00865
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. DeBeaumont, Ronald, 2009. "Occupational differences in the wage penalty for obese women," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 344-349, March.
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    5. Zia Wadud & Daniel J. Graham & Robert B. Noland, 2010. "Gasoline Demand with Heterogeneity in Household Responses," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1), pages 47-74.
    6. Peoples, James H, Jr, 1994. "Monopolistic Market Structure, Unionization, and Racial Wage Differentials," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 76(1), pages 207-211, February.
    7. David Card, 2001. "The Effect of Unions on Wage Inequality in the U.S. Labor Market," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 54(2), pages 296-315, January.
    8. Diane M. Sinclair, 1995. "The Importance of Sex for the Propensity to Unionize," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(2), pages 173-190, June.
    9. John Cawley, 2004. "The Impact of Obesity on Wages," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 39(2).
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    Cited by:

    1. Ameri, Mason & Ali, Mohammad & Schur, Lisa & Kruse, Douglas L., 2019. "Disability and the Unionized Workplace," IZA Discussion Papers 12258, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    obesity; wage differentials; collective bargaining;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J7 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining

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