Dress as An Influence on The Perceptions of Management Characteristics in Women

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Abstract
Evaluations from 77 personnel administrators were used to determine the effect of costume on interviewers' perceptions of personal characteristics for women applying for management level positions. Four costumes representing four dis tinct levels of Yangness (masculinity) were used in the experimental treatments. Four female applicants were videotaped in each of the four costumes in a sim ulated interview. Personnel administrators viewed color videotapes of each of the four applicants in a different costume in a systematically selected sequence and rated each applicant on the following personal characteristics: forceful, self‐ reliant, dynamic, aggressive, and decisive. An incomplete block design incor porating two simultaneous blocking variables (person and showing sequence) was used to isolate the effect of costume. Three‐way least squares analysis of variance was used to test the hypothesis. The results showed costume had both a positive and significant effect on the perception of each of the selected per sonal characteristics. It was concluded that a female applicant's clothing does provide an avenue for conveying personal characteristics necessary for manage ment.