Marked: A Policy Capturing Investigation of Job Applicant Tattoos as Stigmatizing Marks in Blue and White Collar Employment
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: People are getting tattooed more often than ever before, and this is particularly true of younger generations. However, little is known about how applicant tattoos influence the employee selection process. This study presented tattoos as stigmatizing marks, and used a policy-capturing methodology to examine the way in which specific dimensions of tattoo stigma – visibility, intentionality, perilousness, and context – are combined when making decisions about the suitability of tattooed applicants for blue and white collar jobs. Relative weights analysis revealed that tattooed applicant suitability was most negatively influenced when applicants had visible tattoos and were applying for white collar work. Additionally, there were differences in how the perilousness and job type cues were used in the decision task that were associated with stereotypical beliefs about tattooed people and right-wing authoritarianism.
Author: Ryan P Whorton
Institution: Bowling Green State University
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2488981467