Abstract
The main objective of our research was to determine whether enhancing women’s appearance through hair extensions might positively affect their yearly income. Two out of three groups of 55 members each applied for hair extensions and wore them for four years. Our findings were that women who work in certain sectors—mainly catering and administrative assistance — received a significant boost to their income.
We have therefore concluded that in occupations where a woman’s appearance might play an important role, using hair extensions to enhance their looks may positively affect women’s earnings.
Introduction
As the gender pay gap in the United States remains a crucial issue in the equal opportunities debate [1,2], we have pursued a line of inquiry that suggests that factors other than education, age, or skin color may have an impact on women’s yearly income and employment opportunities such as a woman’s appearance. This paper focuses on the length of women’s hair through the application of hair extensions, as research has shown that women with medium or long hair are deemed more attractive than others [3].
Definitions
The term ‘earnings’ is used in this paper, as opposed to ‘income,’ to refer to the revenue that women in the selected fields of occupation obtain, either through their basic salaries or tips.
The term ‘hair extensions’ is used to refer specifically to AiryHair types of hair extensions, which can be found in Appendix 1.
The term ‘perceived level of happiness’ is used as a subjective indicator referring to each participant’s rating as they see fit on a given rating scale.
Methods
During the second half of 2011, 1567 women were interviewed. They were the habitual clients of beauty parlors. Then, we have grouped the beauty parlor clients by:
- Age
- Ethnicity
- Occupation
- Current salary
Of the 1567 women surveyed, we selected those who were in permanent employment, those who were from similar ethnic backgrounds, and those who belonged to the same age group (24-27 years old).
[1] http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_pay_gap_in_the_United_States
[3] http://www.evolutionpsychology.com/5-physical-attractiveness-facial-beauty.html
Demographics
Following the selection process, the sample group of participants was 165 women. This group was divided into three groups of equal numbers: 55 in each group. The focus was to create identical groups (in terms of age and ethnic background) and have the same or a similar percentage of women in similar occupations with similar wages for each group.
During the experiment, nine women left their employment. To maintain an even number of participants in each sample group, we randomly eliminated 6 participants in view to maintain a steady sample size of 50 participants per group.
The make-up of the three groups was as follows:
From the beginning of the assignment, Group #2 and Group #3 received 26” and 30” hair extensions, respectively. We sent new supplies to each participant every quarter to ensure the participants’ appearance for the project was not compromised. Our instructions prohibited Group #1 from using any wigs or similar hair-enhancing products.
Besides, participants had to rate their levels of happiness before and after the application of hair extensions. This was done on a scale from 1 to 100 and continued to do so annually.
Results
The data collected provided the following results:
Annual Earnings, Combined
This table demonstrates that the combined yearly earnings of participants increased by 13.5% throughout the research.
Annual Earnings, Administrative Assistants
In this table, we can clearly see that participants’ yearly earnings increased in proportion to the length of their hair or hair extensions. One interpretation of this data could be that the level of customer satisfaction and/or employer appreciation is directly correlated with the length of the female administrative assistants’ hair.
Annual Earnings, Waitresses
In this table, we can see very clearly that participants’ yearly earnings increased in proportion to the length of their hair or hair extensions. One interpretation of this data could be that customer satisfaction and/or employer appreciation is directly correlated with the female waitress’s hair length.
Annual Earnings, Nurses
For our participants who worked as nurses, applying hair extensions cannot be tied to their slight increase in yearly earnings. One interpretation of this table could be that hair length for female nurses has little or no effect on the level of appreciation of their employer or satisfaction of their client.
Perceived Levels of Happiness
This table shows the changes in participants’ perceived happiness levels throughout the four years of research. It indicates that in the project’s first year, the happiness levels increased greatly among the group of participants. This applied for 30” hair extensions, moderately among participants with 26” hair extensions and slightly among the group of participants with no hair extensions.
In the following years, the perceived happiness levels decreased among Groups #2 and #3. The result is a small increase from the beginning of the project to its completion.
Discussion and Conclusion
We may draw several conclusions from this research.
First, we can conclude that this study validates the premise that women with long hair are more appreciated than women with shorter hair, although predominantly among women working in catering or administrative assistance.
Second, employer appreciation and/or customer satisfaction, and therefore earnings, also increase with hair length. This leads us to believe employers and customers greatly appreciate women with long hair. At least compared to medium-length hair.
Third, the catering and administrative sectors are biased towards women with greater physical features. Therefore, they reward employees with more socially acclaimed features, such as long hair, with higher salaries.
Fourth, a psychological reality regarding the client and/or employer’s mindset is brought to the fore, as they may no longer be rationally assessing the professional abilities of their waitress or administrative assistant. One might say that their evolutionary instinct dominates their logical mind, and therefore, they reward perceived beauty with financial remuneration. This was specifically noticed with the waitresses as their tips increased drastically. Increasing their overall income by 15-20%.
Finally, there is a peak in perceived levels of happiness in the first year. This was following the application of hair extensions and should not be overlooked. Women’s satisfaction levels increased due to higher appreciation from employers and/or customers, which resulted in higher earnings and increased self-confidence! That may, in turn, have produced greater motivation in their workplace and drive contributing to the overall growth in earnings.
For occupations other than waitresses and administrative assistants, the effect was too insignificant to draw any conclusions.
Summary
In conclusion, as a consequence of the results of this research, women in the catering or administrative sectors may be interested in reducing the gender pay gap they are victims of by taking steps towards enhancing their features, with the application of hair extensions. This may not, however, address the deeply ingrained gender stereotyping that women who work in those sectors suffer from daily.
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PDF Download: Hair Extensions for Increasing a Yearly Salary
