Does finding a job with tattoos cost more?

The belief that having tattoos prevents you from finding a job is increasingly erroneous.

Around one in three Spaniards today have one or more tattoos on their body, a type of body modification that is common and is often used as a method of expression. However, although they are now commonplace, until recently and even today some people still associate them with criminality. And this also has an effect on the workplace.

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

Tattoos: the basic concept

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

Tattoos are mostly used today as an element of artistic expression, but their function and the consideration they have received throughout history has been very diverse and changing through time and cultures: they have served to symbolize the passage to adulthood, as an element to frighten enemies, as magical protection, as a method of connection with the spirits and in religious events, to identify social status or to mark criminals or prisoners.

Classic vision

Although tattoos have been used since ancient times in many different cultures and traditions and for different purposes, the truth is that in most of Western society they were initially used by sailors and later adopted in sectors that have traditionally been associated with violent or marginalized lifestyles..

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

In this sense, when applying for a job, many people have been met with an outright refusal, largely because they are tattooed, especially in public-facing positions. Some of the reasons given for this are the image of the company, for being considered rude, unprofessional and unattractive. for being seen as rude, unprofessional and unseriousThe tattooed people are considered dangerous or set a bad example.

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

Modern view

The previous way of considering tattoos is still in force in some sectors of society, but the truth is that little by little a change in the social consideration of these tattoos is being observed. a change in the social consideration of these body modifications.. The increase in their popularity and the fact that a large part of the population has one or more tattoos makes prejudice towards tattoos decrease and improves their social consideration.

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

However, it is a tendency, persisting still 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 the rise and rise of less traditional and more alternative companies. Also The number of companies with a more modern and youthful mentality, with greater adaptability and flexibility to the times, and with an aesthetic and a profile that seeks to beThe number of companies with a more modern and young mentality, with greater adaptability and flexibility to the 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, has also increased greatly.

Is it more difficult to find a job with one or more tattoos?

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

Many of the companies that still require a specific image, such as banking or highly prestigious multinational companies in direct contact with the customer, still require either no tattoos (or piercings or other body modifications) or that they are hidden. Also in sectors such as medicine or education, they are often undervalued or are asked to be concealed. or they are asked to be concealed. In addition, in cultures such as Japan there is greater discrimination (given that tattoos are associated with local mafias), even preventing access to some civil servant positions in the public administration.

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

Indeed, in some cases having a tattoo can even help in hiring, giving a more contemporary, approachable and natural look.and natural look. Ello es especialmente visible en el caso de hombres jóvenes.

Referencias bibliográficas:

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