Physical Based Discriminatuin: Unfait or Discriminatory?

MG 530 – Corporate Social responsibility – 2010

Physical appearance based employment practices: unfair or discriminatory?

PEUPIER Laura

Student ID : 20070475

Words number : 2 198

Introduction 3

I – Overall situation of employment discrimination based on physical appearance 4

1 – What is physical appearance? 4

A – Meaning of physical features 4

B – Meaning of physical attractiveness 4

2 – What is discrimination? 4

3 – Physical appearance and discrimination in the Labor Market 4

A - Relevant laws 4

B – Economical treatment of this issue 5

4 –The employment practices based on physical appearance 5

A – Discrimination in the hiring process and appearance 5

B – Appearance and career progression 6

II – Issues of employment practices based on physical features 7

1 – Appearance based employment practices in details 7

A – Supporters’ position on the appearance based employment discrimination 7

B – The related controversy 7

2 - Ways to make these employment practices less controversial 7

A – Companies have to well define the job’s required characteristics 7

B – Anonymous resume 8

C – Improvement of HALDE and trade unions’ role 8

Conclusion 9

References 10

Table of exhibits 12

Introduction

In France, applicants’ selection is a society issue. A third of the questions asked during job interviews are illegal because they deal with the age or the familial situation of applicants. France when confronted with Anglo-Saxon countries would be the country which uses the most discriminatory hiring practices.

“Beauty is a kind of diploma” (Amadieu; 2002; p. 147). Being attractive seems to allow individuals to avoid unemployment. It also becomes a premium pay. Beauty is part of human resources that the Labor Market recognizes financially. Abilities and capabilities should determine employment access. But the subjective criterion that attractiveness is,...