Ugly Discrimination by A.S - Article Example

Ugly Discrimination by A.S.The article “Ugly discrimination” by A.S. (2011) published in The Economist reports on the discrimination that is currently prevalent in the job marketplace. It briefly mentions the indicators that, although unethical, are used by employers to assess a potential candidate as being successful in the organization. These indicators result in discrimination based on gender, race and appearance. The article has been written based on the findings of a study, which has found evidence that physically unattractive people are at a disadvantage when it comes to employment.

However, the article also mentions that since unattractiveness is one of the features that can be partially controlled by people themselves; they tend to spend lots of money trying to look attractive. In my opinion, the research findings are legitimate because employers do tend to keep factors such as race, gender and appearance in mind before deciding on a suitable employee for their organizations. Since these employers do not have any means of assessing the abilities of a potential candidate, they resort to past experiences of certain races or genders to infer future performance of candidates.

Furthermore, cleanliness and good appearance leave positive impressions on employers, which in turn create a bias towards clean people. However, this does not imply that such discrimination is acceptable. Most successful companies claim to be equal opportunity employers, boasting a strictly ethical selection process and work environment. Discrimination in any form negates this claim and hence should be eliminated. Appearance, race or gender does not ensure an able and successful employee. Recruitment should only be carried out on merit based on qualifications and experience only.

The article has successfully highlighted an important issue that is currently widespread. This issue has forced potential candidates, and current employees, to spend a great deal on ensuring that their looks and appearance are perfect. Therefore, an effective policy should be implemented that forces employers to be ethical and fair in recruitment and allows employees to work on improving their capabilities, rather than appearance.ReferencesA.S. (2011, August 29). “Ugly discrimination” The Economist.

Retrieved from: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/08/labour-markets-3