The Influence of Tattoo Content on Perceptions of Employment Suitability Across the Generational Divide
Abstract
Abstract. The present study extends research on tattoos and employment suitability by examining the extent to which the effects of tattoos on perceived competence and hiring recommendations are contingent upon the generational cohort of hiring managers, tattoo content, and candidate gender. Respondents evaluated hypothetical candidates in a between-subjects design framework. The results demonstrated that candidates with light (more innocent) tattoos were rated lower in perceived competence than candidates with dark (more threatening) tattoos or no tattoos. Regarding hiring recommendations, there were more nuances. Millennial hiring managers viewed candidates with light tattoos more positively than did older managers, and this generational difference was more pronounced for male candidates. Moreover, older hiring managers viewed male candidates with no tattoos more positively than millennials.
References
1979). Sex stereotypes and implicit personality theory: Toward a cognitive–social psychological conceptualization. Sex Roles, 5, 219–248. 10.1007/BF00287932
(2016). Taboo tattoos? A study of the gendered effects of body art on consumers’ attitudes toward visibly tattooed front line staff. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 29, 31–39. 10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.11.005
(2011). Gender discrimination at work: Connecting gender stereotypes, institutional policies, and gender composition of workplace. Gender & Society, 25, 764–786. 10.1177/0891243211424741
(1999). Who women are, who women should be: Descriptive and prescriptive gender stereotyping in sex discrimination. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 5, 665–692. 10.1037/1076-8971.5.3.665
(2010). Do the “savage origins” of tattoos cast a prejudicial shadow on contemporary tattooed individuals? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40, 746–764. 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00596.x
(2010). Consumer perceptions of visible tattoos on service personnel. Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 20, 294–308. 10.1108/09604521011041998
(1995). “Not just for bikers anymore”: Popular representations of American tattooing. The Journal of Popular Culture, 29, 37–52. 10.1111/j.0022-3840.1995.00037.x
(2018). Defining generations: Where millennials end and post-millennials begin. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/defining-generations-where-millennials-end-and-post-millennials-begin/
(2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109, 573–598. 10.1037/0033-295X.109.3.573
(1984). Gender stereotypes stem from the distribution of women and men into social roles. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 735–754. 10.1037/0022-3514.46.4.735
(1984). A status theory of the evaluation of sex-role and age-role behavior. Sex Roles, 10, 445–456. 10.1007/BF00287561
(2002). A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 878–902. 10.1037/0022-3514.82.6.878
(2016). Tattoos, employment, and labor market earnings: Is there a link in the ink? Southern Economic Journal, 82, 1212–1246. 10.1002/soej.12132
(2019). Are tattoos associated with employment and wage discrimination? Analyzing the relationships between body art and labor market outcomes. Human Relations, 72, 962–987. 10.1177/0018726718782597
(2016). Tattoo takeover: Three in ten Americans have tattoos, and most don’t stop at just one. Retrieved from https://theharrispoll.com/tattoos-can-take-any-number-of-forms-from-animals-to-quotes-to-cryptic-symbols-and-appear-in-all-sorts-of-spots-on-our-bodies-some-visible-in-everyday-life-others-not-so-much-but-one-thi/
. (2017). Accelerating acceptance 2017. Retrieved from https://www.glaad.org/files/aa/2017_GLAAD_Accelerating_Acceptance.pdf
. (2010). Millennials and the world of work: An organization and management perspective. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25, 211–223. 10.1007/s10869-010-9160-y
(2004). The effect of applicant influence tactics on recruiter perceptions of fit and hiring recommendations: A field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 622–632. 10.1037/0021-9010.89.4.622
(2015). A meta-analysis of gender stereotypes and bias in experimental simulations of employment decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 128–161. 10.1037/a0036734
(1997). Measuring social class in US public health research: concepts, methodologies, and guidelines. Annual Review of Public Health, 18, 341–378. 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.18.1.341
(2014). A deviant art: tattoo-related stigma in an era of commodification. Psychology & Marketing, 31, 670–681. 10.1002/mar.20727
(2009). Body art in the workplace: Piercing the prejudice? Personnel Review, 38, 621–640. 10.1108/00483480910992247
(2011). The millennials: Connecting to America’s largest generation. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing.
(2018). Where the millennials will take us: A new generation wrestles with the gender structure. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
(2016). Meet the most “tattoo friendly” companies. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-most-tattoo-friendly-companies/
(2009). In the eye of the beholder: Perceived, actual, and peer-rated similarity in personality, communication, and friendship intensity during the acquaintanceship process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 1152–1165. 10.1037/a0014468
(1986). Preschool children’s conceptions of sex-role transgressions. Child Development, 57, 862–871. 10.2307/1130363
(2018). Which country has the most people with tattoos? It’s not the U.S. Newsweek, Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/which-country-most-people-tattoos-943104.
(2006). Tattooing: An expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain. Body Image, 3, 309–315. 10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.09.002
(2011). Tattoos and piercings: Bodily expressions of uniqueness? Body Image, 8, 245–250. 10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.03.007
(2015). Visible tattoos in the service sector: A new challenge to recruitment and selection. Work, Employment & Society, 29, 60–78. 10.1177/0950017014528402
(2017). Body art as branded labour: At the intersection of employee selection and relationship marketing. Human Relations, 70, 1041–1063. 10.1177/0018726716681654
(2017). What do you think of my ink? Assessing the effects of body art on employment chances. Human Resource Management, 56, 133–149. 10.1002/hrm.21770
(2016). Trust and mixed signals: A study of religion, tattoos and cognitive dissonance. Personality and Individual Differences, 97, 234–238. 10.1016/j.paid.2016.03.067
(2017). An experimental study of the effects of tattoo genre on perceived trustworthiness: Not all tattoos are created equal. Journal of Trust Research, 7, 115–128. 10.1080/21515581.2017.1289847
(