Weight bias prevents women from becoming CEOs

September 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Is calculating Body Mass Index (BMI) too complicated for you? Well, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, has now developed a new easy method for people to calculating their healthy weight, and that too without any need for charts or online calculators. George Fernandez, a professor of applied statistics and director of the Center for Research Design and Analysis at Nevada, says that the "range" approach in BMI calculation does not stick in individuals' minds.

August 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The White House billed four corporate CEOS for having lunch with President Obama on Friday, a day after the latter organized a so-called "Beer Summit" with a black Harvard professor and a police sergeant where the drinks were on the house. According to Politico, the lunch was arranged in the private dining room located adjacent to the Oval Office.

July 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has debunked the myth that all women who use the birth control jab medroxyprogesterone acetate, more commonly known as Depo-Provera, are more likely to gain excessive weight. They say that their findings will help physicians to counsel patients appropriately.

May 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - For many women, a poor self-image can spark a host of mental and physical health problems. Now a study has found that an extremely good body image can be just as damaging to women's health.

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Black CEO's having warmer physical appearances or 'babyfaceness' tend to be at the helm of more prestigious corporations, a new study has revealed.ead author Robert Livingston, Kellogg School of Management, and co-author Nicholas Pearce examined the link between physical characteristics and their role in obtaining and maintaining power in the corporate world. Livingston, assistant professor of management and organizations, and other researchers found that babyface features clearly helped black CEOs in gathering leadership roles and further posed as disarming mechanisms.

May 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Even as Obama commemorates his 100th day as the country's first African-American president, a new study examines the intersection of race and power in corporate America. African-American CEOs categorized as having a babyface tend to be at the helm of more prestigious corporations than black CEO's who have a more mature appearance.

April 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - a bit of dialogue and support can be more effective than exercise in helping women not only keep off the weight, but also stay smoke-free, a new study has found. 'A lot of college women report smoking to keep their weight down.

April 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The Fortune 500 may be dominated by male CEOs, but Indra Nooyi, Indian American CEO of Pepsico is listed fourth among '15 women (who) show what it takes to lead' some of the America's biggest companies. Fortune 500 Women CEOs listing of the US business magazine notes that since becoming CEO in 2006, Nooyi, 53, has grown the company's top line-revenue from 10 percent in 2008 to $43.3 billion - and raised its profile in some goodwill-engendering arenas Nooyi, who gets $13.4 million in compensation, has pushed PepsiCo to target health-conscious and female consumers, resulting in such new products as Smartfood's low-fat popcorn clusters, low-calorie Trop 50, and Starbucks Frappuccino Lite.

April 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Burdening yourself with excess weight early on is likely to impair your old-age mobility, even if those extra pounds are shed, says a new research. 'In both men and women, being overweight or obese put them at greater risk of developing mobility limitations in old age, and the longer they had been overweight or obese, the greater the risk,' said lead investigator Denise Houston.

April 1st, 2009 LONDON - A new study has debunked the myth that women are the ones who love to gossip, for it has been found that men are bigger tittle-tattlers than ladies. A poll of 5,000 people by research company www.onepoll.com has revealed that blokes spend an average 76 minutes a day rumour-mongering with pals and colleagues while women do it for just 52 minutes.

March 20th, 2009 LONDON - Hollywood actress Mischa Barton will be gaining weight for the role of a supermodel in a forthcoming show. According to reports, Barton was firmly told by the show bosses that she would get to play the role in the show only if she got rid of her skinny frame.

March 19th, 2009 LONDON - Former 'OC' actress Mischa Barton has reportedly been ordered to put on weight or face losing her role in a new US TV show. Barton has agreed to play the part of a supermodel in CW network's upcoming drama pilot 'A Beautiful Life' but has been told to pile on the pounds by bosses who are worried her skinny frame will set a bad example to young viewers, reports contactmusic.com.

January 30th, 2009 MUMBAI - At a time when all the actors are headed to the gym to tone their body, television actor Swapnil Joshi, best remembered for having played Lord Krishna in mythological serial 'Mahabharat', is gorging on food to gain weight. He says he gained seven kilos for the new show 'Ghar Ki Baat'.

January 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Weight-loss programmes cut down urinary incontinence among overweight or obese women, according to the latest research. Volunteers in the Programme to Reduce Incontinence by Diet and Exercise (PRIDE) experienced significant weight loss and reduction in the frequency of their incontinence episodes.

January 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Does eating less help fend off weight gain in middle age? Yes, says a new study. The study found that women had more than twice the risk of substantial weight gain if they did not become more restrained in their eating.