Does finding a job with tattoos cost more?

Around one in three Spaniards today have one or more tattoos on his body, being a frequent type of body modification and often used as a method of expression. However, although today they are commonplace, until recently and still today some people link them to criminality. And this also has an effect in the workplace.

Does finding a job with tattoos cost more? Let's discuss it throughout this article.

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Tattoos: the basic concept

All those drawings, marks or texts that are made on the body of a person or animal through the injection of some type of pigment under or on the skin are called tattoos. It is a type of body modification that can be permanent or temporary., depending on the method used to draw it.

The tattoo is used today mainly as an element of artistic expression, but their function and the consideration they have received throughout history history has been very diverse and changing through the times and cultures: they have served to symbolize the transition to adulthood, as an element to frighten enemies, as magical protection, as a method of connecting with spirits and in religious events, to identify social position or to mark criminals or prisoners.

classic view

Although tattoos have been used since ancient times in many different cultures and traditions and for various purposes, what It is true that in much of Western society it has been initially worn by sailors and later adopted in sectors that have traditionally been associated with violent or marginal lifestyles.

This type of thinking has remained throughout history until practically today, something that has permeated the mentality of more than one generation and in the vision of tattooed people as dangerous, even if currently the function of the tattoo is in almost all cases merely aesthetic and expressive. This has clearly affected tattooed people in multiple aspects, one of them being work.

In this sense, when it comes to presenting themselves as candidates for a job position, many people have met with a resounding refusal due largely to being tattooed, especially in front-facing positions public. Some of the reasons given for this are the image of the company for being considered rude, unprofessional and unserious, or the consideration of which tattooed people are dangerous or what they give a bad example of.

Many of them ask to have a specific image, associated with formality, which rejects the performance of body modifications. In fact, even if today it is not as marked a handicap as in the past, companies often require that if you wear tattoos they are covered with clothing or are not visible.

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modern vision

The previous way of considering tattoos is still valid in some sectors of society, but the truth is that little by little it is being observed a change in the social consideration of these bodily modifications. And it is that the increase in its popularity and the fact that a large part of the population has some makes prejudices towards tattoos decrease and improve their social consideration.

Currently, they are increasingly seen as a mechanism of expression, in many cases being linked to something significant for said people. Companies are increasingly permissive and they tend to put fewer and fewer problems with the candidates who have them given their great popularity. In addition to this, and given the high percentage of people with one or more tattoos, if this type of population were to be ignored now, companies would lose a large percentage of candidates.

However, it is a trend, still persisting in part of the population the belief of the tattoo as something negative and pejorative for those who wear it.

Another aspect to take into account is the progressive development and rise of less traditional and more alternative companies. Also more modern and young minded companies have increased greatly, with greater adaptability and flexibility to current times and with an aesthetic and a profile that seeks to be fresher and more current, capable of having their own ideas and giving added value to the company.

Does it cost more to find a job with one or more tattoos?

The answer to the question that gives its name to this article is the following: not always, It depends on the job and the company in question..

Many of the companies that continue to demand a specific image, such as banks or multinational companies of high prestige in direct contact with the client, continue to require or not to wear tattoos (nor piercings or other body modifications) or that are hidden. Also in sectors such as medicine or education they tend to be less valued or its concealment is requested. In addition, in cultures such as Japan there is greater discrimination (since the tattoo is associated with local mafias), even preventing access to some civil servant positions in the administration public.

On the other hand, there are more and more companies that do not give importance to having or not having tattoos, there being less and less discrimination in this regard and even Finding some studies carried out in the United States that the possibility of finding employment in the generation born around the year is not diminished. 2000. This change can also be explained by the greater prevalence of younger and alternative companies, as we have indicated above.

In fact, in some cases having a tattoo can even help recruitment, giving a more current look, close and natural. This is especially visible in the case of young men.

Bibliographic references:

• French, M.T., Mortensen, K. & Timming, A.R. (2018). Are tattoos associated with employment and wage discrimination? Analyzing the relationships between body art and labor market outcomes. SAGE Journals.