Don't think that the entertainment industry is the only one paying good-looking individuals extremely well, similar favoritism happens in more average work environments also.
According to a study done by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, good-looking, slender, tall people tend to earn higher salaries in comparison to their average-Joe colleagues. The study found that attractive people earn at least five percent more per hour than their less attractive cohorts.
After the study factored out education and experience, it found that a "beauty premium" is present in every job. The study also discovered, not surprisingly, that in job settings where more personal interaction occurs, highly attractive people have a higher likelihood of being employed.
Also found was that amongst private sector lawyers and public sector lawyers, private sector lawyers tended to have a higher beauty premium, since they needed to bring in and keep clients, unlike in those working in the public sector.
The Federal Reserve Bank also found a "plainness penalty", where less attractive employees earned nine percent less than more attractive co-workers with the same job title.
"Certain characteristics, such as appearance, might affect productivity in ways that are not as easily measured (or as obvious) as are other characteristics, like education or experience," said the report.
The study further found that discrimination in terms of weight and height played a large role in employee earnings. White women who were considered to be obese suffered lower wages than those who were not. Short white men suffer from what economists call a "height premium". The study found almost a two percent increase in pay for each extra inch taller a man was above the average male height.
