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Effects of physical attributes on the wages of males and females

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  • Aparna Mitra

Abstract

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1993), this study analyses the effects of physical attributes, namely, height and weight, on the wages of males and females in professional and blue-collar occupations. A parallel theme of analysis is whether physical attributes have any impact on the wages of workers with high mathematics and computational skills. The results of this study show that among professionals and blue-collar workers, physical attributes significantly affect the wages of women and have no impact on the wages of men. Taller women enjoy wage premiums, while overweight women experience significant wage penalties. Another important finding is that among women with above average quantitative skills, the effects of physical attributes on wages are insignificant.

Suggested Citation

  • Aparna Mitra, 2001. "Effects of physical attributes on the wages of males and females," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(11), pages 731-735.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:8:y:2001:i:11:p:731-735
    DOI: 10.1080/13504850110047605
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Murnane, Richard J & Willett, John B & Levy, Frank, 1995. "The Growing Importance of Cognitive Skills in Wage Determination," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(2), pages 251-266, May.
    2. Juhn, Chinhui & Murphy, Kevin M & Pierce, Brooks, 1993. "Wage Inequality and the Rise in Returns to Skill," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(3), pages 410-442, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Khasnobis, Poulomi & Dinda, Soumyananda, 2017. "Height differentiated Wage Premium in West Bengal, India: An Empirical Study," MPRA Paper 89600, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Mar 2017.
    2. Ping Gao & Junyi Shen, 2017. "An empirical analysis on the determinants of overweight and obesity in China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(20), pages 1923-1936, April.
    3. Zagorsky, Jay L., 2005. "Health and wealth: The late-20th century obesity epidemic in the U.S," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 296-313, July.
    4. Thompson, Kristina & Portrait, France & Schoonmade, Linda, 2023. "The height premium: A systematic review and meta-analysis," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    5. Katarzyna Wojtaszczyk & Marzena Syper-Jędrzejak, 2022. "Erotic capital and its role in the assessment of candidates and employees: scale development and validation," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 49(4), pages 395-413, December.
    6. Chen, Alice J., 2012. "When does weight matter most?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 285-295.
    7. Henk Erik Meier & Michael Mutz, 2020. "Does Attractiveness Lead to or Follow From Occupational Success? Findings From German Associational Football," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(1), pages 21582440209, January.
    8. Knai, Cecile & Suhrcke, Marc & Lobstein, Tim, 2007. "Obesity in Eastern Europe: An overview of its health and economic implications," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 5(3), pages 392-408, December.
    9. Dinda, Soumyananda & Gangopadhyay, P.K. & Chattopadhyay, B.P. & Saiyed, H.N. & Pal, M. & Bharati, P., 2006. "Height, weight and earnings among coalminers in India," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 342-350, December.
    10. Sarbani Banerjee & Rama Parai & Amar Parai, 2007. "Computer use and wage differentials: US and foreign born male and female workers," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(6), pages 409-413.
    11. Smith, Patricia K. & Bogin, Barry & Bishai, David, 2005. "Are time preference and body mass index associated?: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 259-270, July.
    12. Nuñez, Roy, 2020. "Obesity and labor market in Peru," MPRA Paper 105621, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Raymundo M. Campos-Vazquez & Roy Nuñez, 2019. "Obesity and labor market outcomes in Mexico/Obesidad y el mercado de trabajo en México," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 34(2), pages 159-196.

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