A person’s profession influences their appeal
According to a survey by e-harmony in Australia, 42% of respondents think a person’s profession can impact their attractiveness and that their choice of career is crucial. In fact, 59% would ask what the person did for a living on the very first date.
Table of contents
- A person’s profession influences their appeal
- The most attractive jobs for men and women
- What you don’t want your date to be doing
- What’s behind our judgment?
- Online dating as a factor
- An attractive profession doesn’t always equate to a satisfying relationship
The most attractive jobs for men and women
The survey reveals that men find nurses, models, flight attendants, teachers, and doctors the most attractive, with 30%, 27%, 26% for both flight attendants and teachers, and 24%. Lawyers, musicians, scientists, dancers, and personal trainers rounded out the top ten.
For women, it was doctors, tradesmen, firemen, engineers, and lawyers with 36%, 35%, 33%, 29%, and 28%. Teachers, policemen, vets, pilots, and architects completed the list. Perhaps unsurprisingly, lawyers and doctors are in the top ten for both genders.
What you don’t want your date to be doing
The survey also found the least attractive careers for both men and women. They both identified funeral directors, truck drivers, politicians, cleaners, exotic dancers, and real estate agents as some of the least attractive careers.
What’s behind the judgments?
What someone does for a living can impact their perceived attractiveness because people tend to associate certain careers with personality traits. Doctors are helpful and caring, and lawyers are articulate, analytical, and capable of navigating complex situations, which is why dating a lawyer appeals to so many. People use the suspected traits to judge a potential partner and the extent to which they will be compatible.
These traits tell people about lifestyle compatibility as well as a potential partner’s personality. When someone who is dating meets a potential partner, they assess their values to determine whether the other person aligns. Desirable traits that they associate with a given profession help identify alignment.
Online dating as a factor
The effect is compounded with online dating because the preconceived notions are stronger. You don’t have physical presence, body language, or the pitch or tone of the person’s voice as cues to go on, so the stereotypes and assumptions about their character take center stage. This also goes for careers perceived as unattractive, where people pair preconceived stereotypes with the specific job. Truck drivers are typically seen as overly masculine, rude, and disrespectful, which is quite unfair to some of them, especially female truck drivers, who comprise just over 12% of the commercial driver workforce. Funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral arrangers are seen as potentially morbid. Exotic dancers are cold, calculating, and overly sexualized, and so on. People make assumptions about traits based on the job, and the potential partner becomes less attractive.
An attractive profession doesn’t always equate to a satisfying relationship
While one’s career influences their perceived attractiveness, a prestigious or otherwise appealing job doesn’t necessarily equate to a strong relationship. Research by Gottman and Levenson has identified various factors that predict a healthy relationship, such as taking a positive perspective, communication skills, accepting influence, etc. Career was not among the predictors for satisfying and healthy relationships.
You might think a certain profession proves work ethic, but that’s not always the case. In addition, a nurse may or may not be caring and capable of empathy, and if she is, she won’t necessarily behave that way at home, because nobody wants to be at work 24/7, especially in 2025.
Recap
- People associate doctors with being helpful, lawyers with competence
- Unattractive professions are associated with negative traits
- Online dating amplifies stereotypes, as you don’t see the person IRL
- Before meeting them in person, you have only assumptions to go on
- Assumptions about personality based on someone’s job aren’t always correct.
Jessica Alexander
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