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Physical Appearance Can Lead to Discrimination

A host of studies show that, though being physically unattractive is not a legally protected category in most jurisdictions, it is the basis for a lot of discrimination. Studies, for instance, have found that when grade school teachers are shown academic records for a child, they rate the child's ability and intelligence more highly if the picture attached to the records is of a cute child than if it's a homely one. Similar effects are found in the workplace: Biddle and Hamermesh's 1994 study showed that the 9 percent of working men who were rated by interviewers as either "homely" or "below average" in physical appearance also received 9 percent less than average in terms of hourly earnings. Click here to read more.
 
 



INSIGHT Into Diversity