A new NBER working paper found women who were unemployed before starting a GLP-1 were nearly 27 percentage points more likely to have a job after at least 18 months than comparable women who had not yet started treatment.
Among women who were single at the outset, the share later married or living with a partner was nearly 29 percentage points higher, while women already employed or partnered saw little measurable change.
Researchers said the pattern fits the long-documented “female obesity penalty,” in which women with obesity face barriers in hiring, pay and dating, especially when new jobs or relationships are being formed.
The paper has not been peer reviewed and does not show whether the shifts came from weight loss itself or related factors such as better health or greater confidence.
About 40% of GLP-1 users in the study paid roughly $299 a month out of pocket, raising questions over whether access to the drugs could also shape access to social and economic advantages.