Do Attractive People Earn More?
| February 19, 2008 | Posted by Roshawn Watson under Uncategorized |
By: Roshawn Watson
It is Not Fair But IS Legal
Several people have tried unsuccessfully to sue their employers; however, ugly discrimination is legal. Apparently, unless you live in Washington D.C. and Santa Cruz, you have no legal remedy against this form of discrimination.
You could legislate for every kind of discrimination but not this. In… jobs…the attractive were advantaged, the very plain denigrated and rejected. (P. D. JAMES, 1995)
Beauty, Confidence, and Productivity
Perhaps one reason it is difficult to regulate this type of discrimination is that beauty is so subjective and multidimensional. Classical symmetrical physical features are a factor of beauty but confidence also plays a role (about 20% of attractiveness is confidence). Additionally, not all offending parties may realize that they are discriminating. For example, students do consistently give better-looking professors higher evaluations than they give their less genetically-gifted teachers. The disparity is not necessarily thought to be intentional.
Final Thoughts
There is no literature to support that better looks translating into better productivity. Accordingly, your appearance may get you in the door, but your productivity will decide whether you stay.
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I do think attractive people have the advantage but attractive people doesn't really mean beauty or handsome. 🙂
Fair enough. Attractive could mean confident and well-groomed. A person who is a "4" could become a "7" with the right accessories and attitude