Female students who wear outfits to their graduation ceremonies that are regarded as “sexy” are seen as “less capable” than their counterparts, research has found.
For the study, which was published in journal Frontiers in Psychology, scientists from the Universities of Surrey, Lisbon, Padua and Perugia conducted several investigations to explore how people respond to photos of female graduates dressed in different ensembles.
The first study involved 573 participants being shown photos of 37 female students.
Each of the female students had photos taken of them wearing a "professional" outfit, consisting of trousers or a semi-long skirt, a shirt covering their neckline, a jacket and flat shoes, and a "sexy" outfit, consisting of a short skirt or mini dress, a neckline that was more exposed and high heels.
The participants of the study, which included a range of adults, university professors and female students, were asked to rate each of the students based on their academic performance, their future career prospects and whether they would have chosen the outfits worn by the women.
The researchers found that the participants were more likely to deem the female students as having a greater chance of achieving a successful career when dressed in "professional" attire, in comparison to when they were pictured in "sexy" outfits.
The second study involved more than a hundred female students providing photos taken on the day of their graduation ceremonies, which were then judged by almost 400 individuals.
The results from this investigation emulated the first, with participants more likely to perceive a female student as competent when dressed in clothing "rated as appropriate for the occasion"
Female students asked to wear low-cut dresses to graduation
For the third study, the scientists showed 24 photos of recent female graduates to 73 individuals, 39 of which were men. Half of the pictures featured female graduates wearing so-called "sexy" outfits, with the other half showing female graduates in "professional attire"
Again, participants were more likely to hold the women wearing "professional" clothing in higher regard.
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