Cigarettes can majorly screw up your health, your social life, your pets’ health, and a lot of other things that you probably don’t want majorly screwed up.
But did you know that Big Tobacco’s products can interfere with your paycheck, too?
Fact: Smokers earn 20% less cash than non-smokers.
In general, smoking is linked with lower educational attainment. Which…usually means you’re going to earn less. It’s one of the many, many factors that contributes to your employment opportunities. And it’s only one characteristic that contributes to something called the “smoking wage gap.
Which is a hugely complicated issue, and, yeah, we’re only focusing on a small aspect of it, because focusing on a small aspect lets us actually focus on something we can change.
But because of that wage gap, young smokers can miss out on up to $10,000 per year.
$10,000 per year!
That’s a lot of guap. And with all the factors that can affect how you get paid — like your age, your education, your gender, and other stuff you can’t really control — adding smoking to the list could put you at a serious disadvantage.
Don’t let Big Tobacco’s products affect your paycheck. Be the generation to end smoking and close the wage gap.