Dynamiques de la relation entre corpulence et salaire dans les pays émergents : le cas du Mexique

Abstract

This article explores the dynamics of the relationship between bodyweight and wages inMexico, an emerging country with high obesity prevalence. For this empirical study, we used observational panel data from the Mexican Family Life Survey (2002Survey ( -2012. First, we descriptively investigated the relationship between body weight and wages and its dynamics across time. We then implemented a difference-in-differences design that performs estimates robust to time-invariant heterogeneity. Our results show that the relationship between bodyweight and hourly wages depends on gender, time and occupation status. While the results revealed significant wage penalties across time for overweight service workers, we observed a relative acceptance of excess weight in other employment sectors, especially among high-skill jobs. Consequently, our results have important implications for public policies.