Researchers have found there could be a good reason why women spend so long in the morning getting ready – they get paid more if they wear makeup and do their hair. Two sociologists concluded that attractive people get paid around 20 per cent more than "average" people. Both physically attractive men and women tended to earn more. One sociologist said: "For men, only about half of the effect of attractiveness is due to grooming….I think that we more readily judge women, and so presentation becomes important to them."
The study was from universities in Chicago and California. It will be in the journal Research in Social Stratification and Mobility. Researchers analysed data from 14,000 people who spoke about their salary, job, education, personality, behaviour and other things. The interviewers also rated each person on how attractive and well groomed they were. Researchers said people were biased about beauty because of a 'halo effect'. People think someone who is attractive on the outside is also beautiful on the inside. The idea that humans are influenced by beauty bias is not new.
