Perception of Physically Impaired Job Applicants: Effect of Dress, Credentials, and Rater's Sex

Abstract

Male and female managerial level employers evaluated bogus physically impaired job applicants for whom dress and credentials had been varied. The research design was a 3x2x2 factorial, with the independent variables being applicant's appropriateness of dress (high, moderate, low), applicant's credentials (high, low), and respondent's sex (male, female). The dependent variables were personal characteristics ratings, recommendations to hire the applicant, and entry-level salary assignment. Both dress and credentials had a significant effect on ratings of personal characteristics as a group. Recommendations to hire were affected by dress and by credentials. Entry-level salary was affected by dress but not by credentials.

Effect of Applicant's Clothing on Interviewer's Decision to Hire

“…However, Littrell and Berger were examining the effect of grooming and their respondents, law enforcement officers and counselors, were selected because they were thought to be groups that varied in occupational training for person perception. The lack of significant gender influence is consistent with findings of Ray (1986) and Forsythe (1988) that gender of the respondent had no significant mediating effect on the perception of personal Characteristics or on recommendations to hire.…”

“…There is some evidence to suggest that gender of the interviewer may influence the outcome of the interview; however, research investigating the effect of gender of the perceiver on person perception is inconclusive. Whereas some studies have found that response to appearance differs according to the gender of the observer (Cash, 1985;Damhorst & Reed, 1980;Dillon, 1980;Rucker, Taber, & Harrison, 1981;Sweat & Zentner, 1985), other research has found no significant effects for gender (Forsythe, 1988;Ray, 1986). Additional study is necessary to determine whether particular clothing cues will elicit similar perceptual responses from men and women as well as from individuals in different occupations.…”

Disability and the Social Importance of Appearance

“…Much of the early research on clothing and disability fell within this realm, as scholars tried to develop functional designs that would also be perceived as attractive. Unfortunately, neither disabled nor nondisabled consumers found functionally designed garments appealing if they neglected aesthetics or personal expression (Freeman, Kaiser, & Chandler, 1987;Freeman, Kaiser, & Wingate, 1985-1986; Wingate, Kaiser, & Freeman, 1985-1986). The social view of disability suggests that future designers of textile products would be more successful than their predecessors if disabled consumers (expert consultants) were involved throughout the design process.…”

Perceptions of Ethicality: The Role of Attire Style, Attire Appropriateness, and Context

“…For instance, Bardack and McAndrew ( 1985 ) showed that appropriateness of clothing affects the decision about whether a person should be offered a job. The findings of Ray ( 1986 ) support this idea; the author showed that a job applicant rated as “low” on appropriateness of attire received recommendations to hire that were significantly different from those rated “moderate” and “high” for appropriateness. In a study examining the effects of attire style on the musical evaluation of female classical soloists, Griffiths ( 2008 ) also found a strong concept of what constitutes appropriate dress for a female recitalist on the part of observers, with the target dressed in concert attire being rated significantly more positively than those dressed in nightclubbing attire or jeans.…”