D4 Published development or research report or study

Occupation-congruent appearance: a measuremental approach




AuthorsSarpila Outi, Koivula Aki, Kukkonen Iida

PublisherTurun yliopisto

Publishing placeTurku

Publication year2021

Series titleINVEST Working Papers

Number in series37

ISSN2737-0534

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/t5gmv

Web address https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/t5gmv

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/67563578


Abstract

In this article we introduce a novel measure, which we call ‘occupation-congruent appearance’ (OCA). We argue that the measure captures the appearance norms of looking ‘right’ for a particular occupation. Using a combination of large-scale photograph data (N=1,411) and rating data (N=7,920) from Finland, including 387,542 individual ratings, we show that shared cultural standards for OCA exist, and rate of agreement compares with agreement on beauty standards. We systematically compare the relationship between OCA, attractiveness, and masculinity/femininity in male-dominated, gender-balanced, and female-dominated occupational fields for men and for women. We conclude that occupation-congruent appearance is independent from other typically used measures in studies on appearance and social inequalities. Thus, it seems that OCA can capture the kind of elements of appearance that are not reducible to attractiveness, femininity, and masculinity. We discuss the possibilities for using OCA as a complementary measure for researchers interested in appearance and social inequalities.


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