Does it pay to be beautiful?

Eva Sierminska and Karan Singhal
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Karan Singhal: University of Luxembourg, and LISER, Luxembourg

IZA World of Labor, 2023, No 161v2, 161

Abstract: It is a well-established view amongst economists that good-looking people have a better chance of employment and can earn more than those who are less physically attractive. A “beauty premium” is particularly apparent in jobs where there is a productivity gain associated with good looks, though this varies for women and men, and varies across countries. People sort into occupations according to the relative returns to their physical and other characteristics; good-looking people take jobs where physical appearance is deemed important while less-attractive people steer away from them, or they are required to be more productive for the same wage.

Keywords: beauty premium; wages; discrimination; gender differentials; occupational sorting; physical attractiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 J24 J30 J70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Does it pay to be beautiful? (2015)
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