The Impact of Obesity on Wages: The Role of Personal Interactions and Job Selection

31 Pages Posted: 4 Sep 2018

See all articles by Andrea Moro

Andrea Moro

Vanderbilt University - College of Arts and Science - Department of Economics

Tommaso Tempesti

University of Massachusetts Lowell

D. Tello-Trillo

University of Virginia

Date Written: January 7, 2018

Abstract

We estimate the effects of obesity on wages accounting for the selection of workers into jobs requiring different levels of personal interactions in the work-place. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 combined with detailed information about jobs from O*Net, we confirm the results from the literature finding a wage penalty for obese white women. This penalty is higher in jobs that require a high level of personal interactions. Accounting for job selection using three different specifications does not significantly change the estimated wage penalty.

Keywords: Obesity, Wages, Selection, Personal interactions

JEL Classification: I12, J31

Suggested Citation

Moro, Andrea and Tempesti, Tommaso and Tello-Trillo, D., The Impact of Obesity on Wages: The Role of Personal Interactions and Job Selection (January 7, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3243020 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3243020

Andrea Moro (Contact Author)

Vanderbilt University - College of Arts and Science - Department of Economics ( email )

Box 1819 Station B
Nashville, TN 37235
United States

Tommaso Tempesti

University of Massachusetts Lowell ( email )

1 University Ave
Lowell, MA 01854
United States

D. Tello-Trillo

University of Virginia ( email )

1400 University Ave
Charlottesville, VA 22903
United States

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