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Awareness of societal emphasis on appearance decreases women’s (but not men’s) career aspiration: A serial mediation model
Author(s) -
Huang Qianying,
Teng Fei,
Yang Wenjing
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12740
Subject(s) - physical attractiveness , psychology , attractiveness , mediation , perception , social psychology , emphasis (telecommunications) , human physical appearance , sociology , social science , neuroscience , psychoanalysis , electrical engineering , engineering
This research examined the association between awareness of societal emphasis on physical appearance and people’s career aspiration and the process that linked the two. Specifically, we proposed that perceived societal emphasis on physical attractiveness would decrease women’s career aspiration through decreased authenticity and perceived opportunity. A total of 349 college students (227 females) participated in the study. The results revealed that awareness of societal emphasis on physical attractiveness negatively predicted women’s authenticity, and authenticity positively predicted perception of opportunity, which in turn predicted their career aspiration. However, this serial mediational model was not found in men. These findings suggest that socially prioritization of attractiveness can undermine women’s strive for occupational prospects and add to a better understanding of women’s growth and development.