Women wearing skirts make a better first impression
Summary of story from the Institute of Leadership and Management, September 19, 2011
Women who wear skirts at work are more likely to be perceived as more confident and likely to earn a higher salary, according to a study by the UK’s University of Hertfordshire.
Professor Karen Pine, who co-led the investigation, said the results contradicted earlier findings which suggest women should dress like their male counterparts to succeed in the workplace.
She said: “Women generally have a wider choice of dress style for work than men, but still have to maintain an identity that balances professionalism with attractiveness.”
Professor Pine said the research had proved first impressions are usually formed very quickly and turn out to be “highly accurate.”
I feel as if I need to begin this comment with the assertion that psychologists can and do carry out good and important research.
This does not rate among those.
I’ve just had a breeze through the executive summary of Professor Pine’s work, which she carried out with some colleagues in collaboration with Mathieson & Brooke Tailors Ltd.
306 participants took part in an online study. It doesn’t say anything abut who the participants were. No confounding or extraneous variables are taken into account in the summary and there are surely plenty.
The 5 dimensions tested(confidence, success, trustworthiness, salary and flexibility) are essentially 1 dimensional.
There appears to be no control test. But then I’m guessing the tailors would only want one set of results. It’s basically a marketing study which appears to be untargeted.
Interesting to note that the summary mentions the possibility of women being provocative, but no mention of men seeming to be provocative.
I sort of want to read the full report so I can tear it to shreds. I imagine it would be remarkably easy.
Yes this looks like market research rather than a scientific/qualitative study. The big problem for me is who is forming the first impression? Obviously, given the lack of women at the top of any organisation, the first impression – woman in skirt = attractive/sexy – is going to be formed by a man. So if this ‘research’ does not acknowledge the male gaze – a rather important, if not essential, variable – it tells us nothing useful.