At Work, it Pays to be Pretty: Beauty in the Workplace

At work, it pays to be pre0y

KENDAL BRADLEY SISIAN BOGHOSSIAN

AGENDA

1.  What is it? 2.  What we did 3.  Hiring and RecruiJng 4.  Performance 5.  CompensaJon 6.  What about men? 7.  Tips and RecommendaJons

WHAT IS IT?

Beauty, A0racJveness and EroJc Capital

“a#rac&veness is about how you carry yourself, how you dress, and whether you command

presence when you walk in the door.”

•  Academic ar4cles / journals •  2 books

•  The Beauty Myth •  Honey Money: The Power of EroJc Capital

• 92 women surveyed •  Age -‐55% between 26-‐30 years old and 25% under 25 •  EducaJon -‐100% university or college educated •  RelaJonship Status -‐74% single/never married •  Income –wide range of incomes

•  3 senior level women interviewed •  Leyland Brown

•  Vice President & General Manager at HP Canada •  Diane Craig

•  President and Founder, Corporate Class Inc. •  Maria Pardo

•  Director of Finance Industrial OperaJons at Sanofi Pasteur

What we did

METHODOLOGY

FINDINGS FROM SURVEY

Who did we survey?

Entry Level 26%

Experienced

(Non-‐manager)

37%

Experienced (Manager)

32%

Senior ExecuJve

2%

Owner/CEO 3%

Less than 3 years 35%

4 – 6 years 49%

7 – 9 years 7%

10 – 15 years 3%

15 + years 6%

Years of Experience 50% 4-‐6 years

Career Level

70% experienced


96% rated their aYrac4veness as being average or above

Above Average 18%

Slightly Above Average 36%

Average 42%

Slightly Below Average

3%

Below Average 1%


68% say beau4ful women more likely to obtain a senior level posi4on in their careers than the average looking woman?

More Likely 19%

Somewhat More Likely 47%

Neutral 29%

Somewhat Less Likely

5%

Less Likely 0%

Are beauJful women more or less likely to obtain a senior level posiJon in their careers than the average looking woman?

RESEARCHFINDINGS

HIRING AND RECRUITING Benefits of AYrac4veness •  A0racJve individuals are thought to possess more desirable and are expected to be more successful. Risks of AYrac4veness •  Put on the “mommy” track, under the assumpJon that young women will soon get married and have children.

•  For management posiJons, highly qualified a0racJve female applicants are rated as LESS suitable than highly qualified a0racJve male applicants.

•  A0racJve men and una0racJve women are seen as more masculine, more moJvated, unemoJonal and decisive than other people, hence having the a0ributes needed for management jobs.

•  Some qualifica4ons can override stereotypes. MBA can show sufficient moJvaJon and dedicaJon to her career and may reduce some difficulty to entering management jobs.

RESEARCHFINDINGS

COMPENSATION –Being aYrac4ve pays more

•  A0racJveness had no effect on women’s starJng salaries (at least it did not disqualify them!), but more a0racJve women earned more later on in their careers.

•  NoJceable 10 to 20 per cent ‘beauty premium’ in earnings across the whole workforce, just like the 10 to 20 per cent earnings mark-‐up for tallness.

•  Very a0racJve men and women enjoy hourly earnings of 5% higher than those with average looks. Plain women earn 5% less than average lookers, plain men 10% less.

•  Women were considered more confident and more likely to earn a higher salary when wearing a skirt instead of trousers.

“A0racJve women were discriminated against when applying for jobs considered ‘masculine’ and for which appearance was not

seen as important to the job.”

RESEARCHFINDINGS

PERFORMANCE •  People with high emo4onal intelligence, a hint of charm and

strong influencing skills can flourish in matrix structures.

•  Social aspects of eroJc capital are most valuable: skills of self-‐presentaJon and dress, social skills and persuasiveness, fitness and social liveliness.

•  Overt displays of sex appeal can be severely penalized as inappropriate in these contexts. 43% of managers have overlooked someone for a promoJon or pay raise because of the way they were dressed, and 20% had even dismissed someone for this reason

•  A0racJveness and good self-‐presenta4on can count for just as much as educa4onal qualificaJons in the workforce

“A0racJve women were discriminated against when applying for jobs considered ‘masculine’ and for which appearance was not

seen as important to the job.”

54% reported that their appearance posi4vely affects their workplace success PosiJvely

Affects 54%

Neutral 37%

NegaJvely Affects 9%


Significantly More Power 14%

Slightly More Power 60%

Neutral 20%

Slightly Less Power

6%

74% say that beau4ful women have more power at work. More than 68% say the same about men.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

•  A0racJveness makes more of a difference!

•  Financial rewards for a0racJveness are substanJally higher for men than for women

•  A0racJve men are seen as competent and able to go into management posiJons

What About Men?

Does aYrac4ve men’s appearance affect their success at the workplace?

PosiJvely Affects 66%

Neutral 33%


TIPS FROM EXECUTIVES

TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS •  Develop your soi skills and don’t be afraid to uJlize them.

•  Take risks, and ask for things, even though you may be labeled as “aggressive”.

•  Put yourself out there and do work that is challenging.

•  Build a strong network around you that will allow you to succeed. Building a network is not about what you take, but what you give. You will create a strong and loyal network by helping others who then insJncJvely want to help you.

Works Cited •  Avere0, S., & Korenman, S. (1993, December 11). The rules of a0racJon. The Economist , 4. •  Boesveld, S. (2011, October 8). Use 'eroJc capital' to get ahead in the workplace, BriJsh author says. Saskatoon Star Phoenix , p. 2. •  FacJva, Inc. (2011, September 2). Pre0y people win in the workplace. New Zealand. •  FoundaJon, N. S. (2010, August 10). Business School Research Finds Beau&ful Women Face Discrimina&on. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from US News: h0p://www.usnews.com/science/arJcles/2010/08/10/business-‐school-‐research-‐finds-‐beauJful-‐women-‐face-‐discriminaJon •  Gray, R. (2011, September 18). Wear a skirt to make a good impression in business. Telegraph Group Limited . London, England. •  Hakim, C. (2011). Honey Money: The Power of Ero&c Capital. London: Penguin Group. •  HEILMAN, M. E., & STOPECK, M. H. (1985). � Being A0racJve, Advantage or Disadvantage? Performance-‐ Based EvaluaJons and Recommended Personnel AcJons as a FuncJon of Appearance, Sex, and Job Type . Organiza&onal Behaviour and Human Decisional Processes , 35, 202-‐215. •  jones, Z. (2011, October 5). WHEN IT COMES TO OFFICE SUITS, SKIRTS PAY OFF. The Star . •  Klein, N. (1991). Beauty Myth. Great Britain: Vintage. •  Sebesta, C. (2011, October 6). BeauJful success. Aus&n American-‐Statesman , p. 4. •  Sixel, L. (2011, September 15). BUSINESS WORKING Good looks = good pay. Houston Chronicle . •  Today, �. (2011, September 1). Appearance ma0ers. •  Wise, B. (2000). Beauty and Business: Commerce, Gender, and Culture in Modern America. Library Journal , 125 (20), 156. •  Wi0, R. (1984 , August 14). Le0ers to the Editor: Women Suited for the Job. Wall Street Journal.

QUESTIONS?

Appendix

OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS FROM SURVEY

More than half of those surveyed believe their appearance posi%vely affects her success at her workplace.

More than 65% of women believe men’s appearance posi%vely affects their success at their workplace.

More than 70% of women surveyed believe a#rac&ve women have slight or significantly more power at work

than their una0racJve counterparts.

38% believe a#rac&ve women have slightly or significantly more pressure to perform at a higher level at the workplace.

25% believe a0racJve women have slightly or significantly less pressure to perform at a higher level at the workplace.

More than 65% of women believe a#rac&ve women are more likely to obtain a senior level posi%on in their careers.

FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEWS

“Women who want to become leaders should strengthen their communica4on skills, have the ability to lead and mo4vate others, and have the ability separate the important from the

urgent.”

“Confidence is important. Many noJce how you carry yourself when you walk in a room.”

“Women should put themselves out there and take risks. We as women typically sit back and allow things to happen to us instead of going axer the challenging things. Make the hard decisions. No one achieved great things by taking the easy

way.”

“Allow feedback to be your friend. Don’t judge the cri4cism you receive. Learn from it and move on.”

“Build a network around you. It is about what you give, not what you take. By helping others, they insJncJvely want to

help you and become a part of your network.”

FINDINGS FROM INTERVIEWS

“Volunteering is important. Go beyond what your job requires of you and get involved in things you are passionate about.”

“Dig into the corporate world with self awareness.”

“Power is linked to strong and useful networks, empowering skills, and achievement.”

FINDINGS FROM THE BEAUTY MYTH

“The beauty myth tells a story: The quality called “beauty” objecJvely and universally exists. Women must want to

embody it and men want to possess women who embody it.”

“In assigning value to women in a verJcal hierarchy according to a culturally imposed physical standard, it is an expression of power

rela4onship in which women must unnaturally compete for resources that men have appropriated for themselves.”

“There is no legiJmate historical or biological jusJficaJon for the beauty myth; what it is doing to women today is a result of

nothing more exalted than the need of today’s power structure, economy, and culture to mouth a counteroffensive against

women.”

“The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men’s ins4tu4ons and ins4tu4onal power.”


Who did we survey? Age

Under 25 year old 25%

26-‐30 55%

31-‐35 13%

36-‐40 2%

41+ 5%


Who did we survey? Educa4on

University/College 32%

Graduate 53%

Post -‐ Graduate 15%


Who did we survey? Marital Status

Single (never married) 74%

Married or common law

24%

Divorced or Separated 2%


Who did we survey? Household Income

Less than $50,000 36%

$50,001 -‐ $59,999 18%

$60,000 -‐ $74,999 14%

$75,000 -‐ $89,999 5%

$90,000 -‐ $99,999 5%

$100,000 + 22%


Despite advantages, aYrac4ve women are thought to have more pressure to perform put on them.

Significantly More Pressure

10%

Slightly More Pressure 28%

Neutral 37%

Slightly Less Pressure 24%

Significantly Less Pressure

1%

Do a0racJve women have more or less pressure to perform at a higher level at the workplace compared to their peers?


Do you personally consider yourself aYrac4ve/beau4ful?

Yes 36%

No 3%

SomeJmes 61%


In your opinion, does aYrac4ve men’s appearance posi4vely or nega4vely affect their success at the workplace?

PosiJvely Affects 66%

Neutral 33%
