health
Can Taking Weight-Loss Drugs Help You Get Hired? Yes, If You're a Woman.
Updated on: August 13, 2026 / 1:59 PM EDT / CBS News
TL;DR
- Unemployed women taking GLP-1 weight-loss drugs saw a 27 percentage point increase in employment after 18 months.
- Marriage and cohabitation rates rose by 29 percentage points for women using GLP-1 treatments.
- There is no evidence that GLP-1s helped already employed women advance in their careers.
- The research raises questions about equitable access to GLP-1 drugs and their potential to influence how women are treated in markets.
- Obese women face labor market discrimination, earning less and receiving fewer callbacks.
- By the end of 2024, 6% of U.S. women had started using a GLP-1 for weight loss, with higher uptake among women with a history of obesity.
- Employment gains for unemployed women taking GLP-1s accumulated as they shed weight.