Searching for a Job is a Beauty Contest

Busetta, Giovanni; Fiorillo, Fabio; Visalli, Emanuela

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2331921

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…A particularly effective research approach for documenting the advantage of attractive people in the job application and interview process involves sending curricula vitae (CVs) with photos of attractive and unattractive men and women to firms that have advertised job openings (e.g., Busetta et al 2013; Lopez Boo et al 2013; Ruffle & Shtudiner 2015). In one recent study using this approach, Busetta et al (2013) sent 11,008 CVs to 1,542 job openings in Italy. They sent the same CV eight times to each job opening: In four cases, they included a photograph of the alleged applicant (as an attractive man, an unattractive man, an attractive woman, or an unattractive woman), whereas in the other four cases no photo was included.…”

Section: Biases In Favor Of Attractive Individuals In the Labor Markementioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive people: Interdisciplinary perspectives from economics, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology

2016

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Financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive adults have been documented in the labor market, in social transactions in everyday life, and in studies involving experimental economic games. According to the taste-based discrimination model developed by economists, attractiveness-related financial and prosocial biases are the result of preferences or prejudices similar to those displayed toward members of a particular sex, racial, ethnic, or religious group. Other explanations proposed by economists and social psychologists maintain that attractiveness is a marker of personality, intelligence, trustworthiness, professional competence, or productivity. Evolutionary psychologists have argued that attractive adults are favored because they are preferred sexual partners. Evidence that stereotypes about attractive people are causally related to financial or prosocial biases toward them is weak or nonexistent. Consistent with evolutionary explanations, biases in favor of attractive women appear to be more consistent or stronger than those in favor of attractive men, and biases are more consistently reported in interactions between opposite-sex than same-sex individuals. Evolutionary explanations also account for increased prosocial behavior in situations in which attractive individuals are simply bystanders. Finally, evolutionary explanations are consistent with the psychological, physiological, and behavioral changes that occur when individuals are exposed to potential mates, which facilitate the expression of courtship behavior and increase the probability of occurrence of mating. Therefore, multiple lines of evidence suggest that mating motives play a more important role in driving financial and prosocial biases toward attractive adults than previously recognized.

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Section: Biases In Favor Of Attractive Individuals In the Labor Markementioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive people: Interdisciplinary perspectives from economics, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology

2016

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show abstract

“…Unlike men, women’s success can be judged negatively, as high status or successful women are more frequently derogated (Heilman et al, 2004) and are judged more negatively when dressed in short skirts (Glick et al, 2005; Howlett et al, 2015). However, physically attractive women receive better treatment (Rosenblat, 2008), are more likely to find employment, and are more likely to get promoted (Hamermesh and Biddle, 1993; Pfann et al, 2000), which may not be the case among men (Busetta et al, 2013).…”

Section: Study 2: the Effects Of Attire On Men And Womenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike men, women’s success can be judged negatively, as high status or successful women are more frequently derogated (Heilman et al, 2004), particularly when dressed in short skirts or shirts displaying cleavage (Glick et al, 2005; Howlett et al, 2015). Conversely, physical attractiveness is beneficial to women as attractive individuals receive favorable treatment (Rosenblat, 2008) and are more likely to find jobs and get promoted (Hamermesh and Biddle, 1993; Pfann et al, 2000), which benefits women more than men within employment scenarios (Busetta et al, 2013). However, the interplay between physical attractiveness, economic status, and attire in mixed social contexts that are more comparable to real-world scenarios has yet to be explored.…”

Section: General Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Interplay Between Economic Status and Attractiveness, and the Importance of Attire in Mate Choice Judgments

2019

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Desirable characteristics of “opposite sex others,” such as physical attractiveness and economic status, can influence how individuals are judged, and this is different for men and women. However, under various social contexts where cues of higher or lower economic status is suggested, sex differences in judgments related to mate choice have not been fully explored. In two studies, ratings of economic status and attractiveness were quantified for male and female targets that were presented under various social contexts. Study 1 assessed judgments ( n = 1,359) of images of nine male and nine female targets in different sized groups containing only opposite-sex others (i.e., group size). While we found no significant effects of group size on male and female attractiveness, target female economic status increased when surrounded by two or more men. An ad hoc analysis controlling for the attire of the targets (business or casual) found that the association between target female economic status and group size occurred when females were in business attire. Study 2 investigates this effect further by presenting images of 12 males and 12 females, in higher and lower status attire (i.e., business and casual clothing) and measured judgments of attractiveness and economic status among women and men ( n = 1,038). Consistent with the results of Study 1, female economic status was only affected when women were in business attire. However, female economic status decreased when in the presence of other men in business attire. There were no sex differences in judgments of economic status when judging stimuli in casual attire. Additionally, negative associations between attractiveness and economic status were found for males presented in casual attire. We discuss these results in the light of evolutionary sexual conflict theory by demonstrating how the asymmetrical importance of status between men and women can influence mate choice judgments.

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“…In addition, observational studies reveal that regardless of qualification attractive men and women are more likely to receive call-backs from recruitment agencies (Busetta et al, 2013). Taken together, research demonstrates that more attractive females are more likely to be invited for interviews (Baert & Decuypere, 2014), receive higher performance ratings (Drogosz & Levy, 1996;Vilela, González, Ferrín, & Araújo, 2007), more positive interview ratings (Barrick, Shaffer, & Degrassi, 2009), higher earning potential (Musumeci & Shahani-Denning, 1996), more managerial ability (Dean, 2014), as well as receive an increased chance of employment (Watkins & Johnston, 2000).…”

Section: The Halo Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does the Use of Facial Cosmetics Influence Social Perceptions of Women in the Recruitment Process?

Tommerup¹,

Furnham²

2019

PSYCH

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The current study aimed to investigate the influence of facial cosmetics on perceptions of female applicants. In all, 286 participants were asked to evaluate the resume of a photographed female based on capability, earning potential, popularity, and hire-ability for either a "sales assistant" or "sales manager" role. It was hypothesized that perceived attractiveness and use of professional facial cosmetics would increase all ratings of professional competence. Further, facial cosmetics would be more advantageous for less attractive applicants and managerial applicants. The results supported these hypotheses, demonstrating that the use of professional facial cosmetics improved ratings of competence for female applicants. However, this enhancement was greater for less attractive female applicants and managerial applicants. Implications and limitations are discussed.

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Searching for a Job is a Beauty Contest

Cited by 18 publications

References 12 publications

Explaining financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive people: Interdisciplinary perspectives from economics, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology

Explaining financial and prosocial biases in favor of attractive people: Interdisciplinary perspectives from economics, social psychology, and evolutionary psychology

The Interplay Between Economic Status and Attractiveness, and the Importance of Attire in Mate Choice Judgments

How Does the Use of Facial Cosmetics Influence Social Perceptions of Women in the Recruitment Process?

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