Too hot to be an engineer or prison guard?

Good looks can kill a woman’s chances of snaring jobs considered “masculine,”[1] according to a study by the University of Colorado Denver Business School.

Attractive women faced discrimination[2] when they applied for jobs where appearance was not seen as important. These positions included job titles like manager of research and development, director of finance, mechanical engineer and construction supervisor.[3]

They were also overlooked for categories like director of security, hardware salesperson, prison guard and tow-truck driver.[4]

“In these professions being attractive was highly detrimental to women,” researcher Stefanie Johnson said in a statement, adding that attractive women tended to be sorted into positions like receptionist or secretary.[5]

“In every other kind of job, attractive women were preferred. This wasn’t the case with men which shows that there is still a double standard when it comes to gender [6].”

While the researchers found good-looking women were ruled out[7] for certain jobs, they found that attractive men did not face similar discrimination and were always at an advantage.

But Johnson said beautiful people still enjoyed a significant edge[8] when it came to the workplace.

They tended to get higher salaries, better performance evaluations, higher levels of admission to college, and more favorable judgments in trials.[9]

“In every other kind of job, attractive women were preferred,” said Johnson, who chided those who let stereotypes affect hiring decisions.[10]

Vocabulary

1. snare:（用陷阱、羅網等）捕捉，此處指找工作；masculine: 適于男性的。

2. discrimination: 差別對待，歧視。

3. director of finance: 財務總監；construction supervisor: 施工監理。

4. director of security: 保安部主管；tow-truck: 吊拖車，托運車。

5. detrimental: 有害的，不利的；receptionist:（診所、事務處等的）接待員。

6. gender: 性別。

7. rule out: 把……排除在外。

8. edge: 優勢。

9. performance evaluation: 業績評價；trial: 審判。

10. chide: 責備；stereotype: 成見。

（來源：英語學習雜志）