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Tall or Taller, Pretty or Prettier: Is Discrimination Absolute or Relative?

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  • Daniel S. Hamermesh

Abstract

Using several microeconomic data sets from the United States and the Netherlands, and the examples of height and beauty, this study examines whether: 1) Absolute or relative differences in a characteristic are what affect labor-market and other outcomes; and 2) The effects of a characteristic change when all agents acquire more of it--become taller or better-looking. Confronted with a choice among individuals, decision-makers respond more to absolute than to relative differences among them. Also, an increase in the mean of a characteristic's distribution does not alter market responses to differences in it.

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File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w18123.pdf
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 18123.

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Date of creation: Jun 2012
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Publication status: published as IZA Journal of Labor Economics 2012, 1:2 doi:10.1186/2193-8997-1-2
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18123
Note: LS
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Find related papers by JEL classification:
  • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
  • J78 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Public Policy (including comparable worth)

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  1. Michèle Belot & V. Bhaskar & Jeroen van de Ven, 2012. "Beauty and the Sources of Discrimination," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 47(3), pages 851-872.
  2. Nicola Persico & Andrew Postlewaite & Dan Silverman, 2004. "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(5), pages 1019-1053, October.
  3. Berggren, Niclas & Jordahl, Henrik & Poutvaara, Panu, 2010. "The looks of a winner: Beauty and electoral success," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-2), pages 8-15, February.
  4. Craig E. Landry & Andreas Lange & John A. List & Michael K. Price & Nicholas G. Rupp, 2006. "Toward an Understanding of the Economics of Charity: Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 121(2), pages 747-782.
  5. James J. Heckman, 1998. "Detecting Discrimination," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 101-116, Spring.
  6. Fryer Roland & Jackson Matthew O., 2008. "A Categorical Model of Cognition and Biased Decision Making," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-44, February.
  7. Anne Case & Christina Paxson, 2006. "Stature and status: Height, ability, and labor market outcomes," Working Papers 232, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Research Program in Development Studies..
  8. Joni Hersch, 2008. "Profiling the New Immigrant Worker: The Effects of Skin Color and Height," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 345-386, 04.
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Cited by:

  1. Wang-Sheng Lee, 2015. "Big and Tall: Is there a Height Premium or Obesity Penalty in the Labor Market?," Economics Series 2015_6, Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance.

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