Blondes 'are paid less'

Melbourne, Jan 20 (ANI): Blondes might be popular among the boys, but when it comes to earnings, they don't really laugh all the way to the bank, finds a new study.

In her study, Dr Geni Dechter, an Australian economics lecturer, analysed the relationship between hair colour and the effect physical appearance has on earnings, and found that young blonde women are paid less than their non-blonde counterparts when it comes to starter salaries.

While working at Rochester University in the United States, the expert found hair colour had a significant impact on entry wages for young women, but not young men, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Infact, the salary slab between blonde and non-blonde employees was higher the more educated the employees - with a 9 per cent difference in wages between blonde and non-blondes with higher education.

Understandably, the wage difference disappears with work experience.

"While hair colour does not have any effect on educational achievement or cognitive ability, college educated blonde women tend to enter the job market with significantly lower wages than their brunette counterparts, but this wage difference disappears with job market experience and disappears completely after five years in the work force," the research found.

The study entitled "Physical Appearance and Earnings: the role of hair colour," was completed in November 2009.

"Maybe it's a more complex preference structure - for some reason some employers don't like blondes," Geni said. (ANI)