The Physical Traits That Make Women Most (And Least) Attractive To Employers

By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Aug 02, 2022

Fairygodboss ran a study in October of 2017. In the study, they rounded up 500 hiring professionals made up of both men and women and showed them photos of prospective female job hires. The photos included women of different shapes, sizes, hairstyles, clothing options, and races. They were asked to apply three adjectives to each woman and then say how likely they were to hire her based on the photograph alone. 

First, we have the order in which a female hiring professional would hire a woman based on the photos:

  1. Brunette: 58.96 percent
  2. Black woman: 50.2 percent
  3. High neckline/curly hair: 45.82 percent
  4. Smiling: 41.04 percent
  5. Short hair: 39.84 percent
  6. Blonde: 39.04 percent
  7. Asian: 32.37 percent
  8. Older woman: 31.08 percent
  9. Tattooed: 26.29 percent
  10. Latina: 23.11 percent
  11. Low neckline: 22.31 percent
  12. Wearing a skirt: 16.73 percent
  13. Heavier: 14.74 percent
  14. Frowning: 12.75 percent

Here’s what that same breakdown looks like for male hiring professionals:

  1. Brunette: 61.04 percent
  2. Blonde: 50.2 percent
  3. High neckline: 49.8 percent
  4. Black woman: 40.96 percent
  5. Low neckline: 36.95 percent
  6. Smiling: 34.94 percent
  7. Short hair: 30.92 percent
  8. Asian: 30.52 percent
  9. Latina: 30.12 percent
  10. Older woman: 27.31 percent
  11. Curly hair/skirt: 26.1 percent
  12. Tattooed: 22.09 percent
  13. Frowning: 17.27 percent
  14. Heavier: 15.66 percent

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