Abstract
A majority of studies on the beauty premium of college professors have been conducted in Western countries, mainly in the United States and Canada. The present paper focuses on the influence of professors' physical attractiveness on their teaching ratings awarded by three ethno-cultural student populations (native Israelis, FSU immigrants, and Ethiopian immigrants) at a large public college in Israel. We asked the participants to look at photographs of attractive professors (rated in a previous study) and rate the quality of their teaching, based solely on the photographs. It was found that both female and male professors were awarded a beauty premium by all three groups. Our findings confirm results of previous studies in USA and Germany, which suggested that the beauty premium exists across diverse ethnic groups. Our conclusions are based mainly on findings that were obtained from Christian or Jewish subjects. A more comprehensive examination could include additional cultures and religions, such as Moslem or Buddhist participants. Therefore, we would welcome collaboration with colleagues who are interested in examining this phenomenon in their own countries. Our conclusion may have practical implications when evaluating employees' performance in the globalized multicultural workforce in general, and in intercultural academic settings in particular.
Recommended Citation
Bokek-Cohen, Ya’arit and Davidovich, Nitza
(2011)
"The Beauty Premium in the Academic World: A Cross-Cultural Perspective,"
Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Vol. 7, Article 4.
Available at:
https://encompass.eku.edu/kjectl/vol7/iss1/4
