It pays to be pretty: Good looking employees earn more

More attractive women are paid four per cent more than their plain Jane colleagues according to a 20-year study

More attractive women are paid four per cent more than their plain Jane colleagues according to a 20-year study.

Professor Daniel S Hamermesh, from the University of Texas-Austin, has studied the 'economics of beauty' for 20 years. He claims that attractive workers are offered party invites, business travel and office privileges, while those 'less aesthetically fortunate' are overlooked.

As a result of this treatment, good looking employees are more productive, leading to higher sales and potentially higher profit for the company and for themselves.

Professor Hamermesh suggests that being attractive is not necessarily in the eye of the beholder, but subconsciously linked to factors such as the symmetry of the face, facial expression and even whether a you look like someone popular or famous.

In his book, Beauty Pays, published by Princeton University Press, Hamermesh estimates that attractive people earn an average of about £145,000 more in a lifetime than those who aren't so good looking.

Despite accepting that work experience and education were important factors in earnings, Professor Hamermesh insists that a person's looks are impossible to ignore.

What do you think? Is it fair that we're still judged on our appearance in the 21st century? Let us know your experiences in the box below.

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