The Bennett Newsletter
"Erotic Capital - "
Young people are (rightly) urged to gain educational qualifications, but beauty and sex appeal can count as much in the labour market, and are trumps in the marriage market says Dr Catherine Hakim of the London School of Economics in a new study. Coining the phrase” erotic capital”, she asserts that sex appeal has become a more important personal asset in the sexualised cultures of modern liberal society. People who possess above-average sex appeal, thus erotic capital, are more often perceived as honest and competent. “They find it easier to make friends, get jobs, get married and tend to earn 15% more on average”. This thesis, which accords with most people’s experience, is based on massive, multicultural evidence in the context of other important personal assets ( economic, social and cultural capital).
What is Erotic Capital?
Erotic Capital (EC) has six elements in most societies but seven in those where fertility is especially valued. They are beauty, sexual attractiveness, social graces, liveliness, social presentation and sexuality itself. To explain: beauty is mostly about facial attractiveness while sexual attractiveness is about a sexy body, personality and style. Beauty can be captured by a photo, sexual attractiveness requires film. Sexuality does not apply in social situations, but implies a sexually satisfying partner in private.
All categories apply variously to men and women, but women have the edge partly because they worker harder at being physically and socially attractive. Women benefit too from the ‘sex deficit”: world-wide surveys indicate that men’s interest in sex exceeds women’s, especially in people aged 35 plus. So women are in greater demand as sexual partners. This has reversed history where men had advantages in the courtship and marriage markets.
Dr Hakim observes that everyone knew that beautiful women could use that advantage to get on in life, but it was assumed that the advantage would diminished as women gained in economic and social power. She argues instead that EC is “something all of us trade on” and “we should see it as a major constituent in our social lives..and..it has growing importance in the workforce”. She argues the importance of EC in “self-service” mating and marriage markets, speed dating etc.
Forms of personal capital
Following Bourdieu, economic capital is resources, such as land or wealth, which can bring financial gain. Cultural capital composes information resources which are socially valued, such as knowledge of music or art, as well as education and work experience which can be traded for income. Social capital (e.g. birth, elite school) and good social contacts can lead to influence and social mobility.
Erotic Capital is multi-facetted, and Hakim launches into a discussion of its manifestations in different cultures. EC is found in all cultures although details differ remarkably: New Zealand women may paint their faces. Kiwi men do not. Papuan men paint their faces and their women do not.
Erotic capital is the most democratic, widespread form of capital as everyone has it and can exploit it. Social capital is also widespread, also intangible, and it remains unidentified theoretically.
EC has greater value when it is linked to high levels of economic, cultural and social capital. An attractive spouse has great value for monarchs, politicians, business moguls who prioritize social display and social stratification. Higher-status people choose spouses with high EC, increasing the likelihood of their heirs having a high endowment of EC too.
Performance
Sex differences are shrinking. Women have always worked hard in cultivating their erotic capital. More recently, more men devote time and money to their EC: working out to cultivate an attractive body and spending more on clothes and toiletries. Male cosmetics are a burgeoning market. While men are increasing their EC, women are increasing their economic capital.
Sexual activity is increasingly regarded as important in quality of life. Surveys over extended periods indicate that this activity has increased dramatically. Sex is a major leisure activity.
Women’s advantage.
Women have significant potential advantages in negotiating with men in situations governed by supply and demand. Young people until around 30-34 have similar desires, but after that age men desire sex more, so women can obtain advantages. Surveys show men show 2-10 times more enthusiasm as women for every variety of activity. Men are twice as likely to report five or more sexual partners, and ( in the UK) 5 times as likely to have 10 or more partners in the previous 5 years.
Surveys in every country reveal men as twice as likely to report affairs. Moreover, men are more likely to use prostitutes. In Spain, 25% of men (married or not) use prostitutes, but only 1% of women. Feminists say this is because men have more money to spend. Hakim argues most evidence indicates women need an emotional attachment. Rich women are not particularly promiscuous.
Rising importance of EC
Expectations of an attractive appearance now apply to all age groups instead of just young people in the marriage market. Rising divorce rates also create incentives to improve one’s erotic capital throughout life. Twice -divorced Madonna at 50 can look as attractive as any 25-year old. Women are increasing insisting that their partners look stylish as well as be dependable providers.
Standards are increased by the mass media’s constant combination of images of stars and self-improvement advice on how to behave and attract a lover. This has widened markets. In the past, mating and marriage markets were often small, local, and based on family advice on issues of economic capital. Today’s markets are huge, sexualised, and extended by the internet. EC also plays an increasing part in labour markets, especially in the media, advertising and the arts.
Some things have not changed. Modern educated women still prefer men who are economically strong and men seek physical attractiveness in return. More interestingly, the most upwardly mobile men have wives who do not take paid jobs. Such families have a higher income than someone in a dual–career partnership. Hakim does not mention house-husbands.
Two American studies have revealed the importance of EC in labour markets. Beauty has a premium of about 13% higher salary and plain people pay a penalty of 1-10%. Moreover, the private sector attracts more attractive people than government service. EC may give human resources people something to think about.
http://esr.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/jcq014v2
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