Employment Discrimination Against the Overweight

Part I of the Note discusses the existence of employment discrimination against the overweight and the significance of the problem it poses. Part II examines existing employment discrimination legislation to discern what protection is currently available to the overweight. Finally, part III concludes that present laws are inadequate to protect overweight persons from employment discrimination. The Note argues for the passage of legislation designating weight as a classification protected from employment discrimination, and prohibiting the use of weight standards unrelated to job performance. Such legislation is necessary to allow the growing number of overweight Americans the opportunity to compete equally in the job market.