Skirts beat trouser suits in corporate power game

London: The trouser suit may be the uniform of choice for the power-dressing career woman.

But she'd be better off in a skirt, if the latest research is to be believed.

Skirts give a better first impression and are more likely to lead to success in the workplace, they found.

Women were considered more confident and more likely to earn a higher salary when wearing a skirt instead of trousers.

Professor Karen Pine, who co-led the study at the University of Hertfordshire, said the findings contradicted previous research which suggested women should dress more like men to succeed in the workplace.

When 300 people were asked to give "snap judgments" of images of women in either trouser suits or a skirts, they favoured those in skirts.

They were asked to rate the women in eight images on five different criteria: confidence, success, trustworthiness, salary and flexibility. The skirt and trouser suits were both navy and made from the same fabric, and all facial features were removed by pixellation. Scientists found that after just three seconds, the participants made up their mind and rated the women in the skirts more positively than those in the trouser suits.

Professor Pine said: "First impressions are formed rapidly and are often highly accurate... After seeing a face for just one second, people make judgments about another's personal and occupational attributes. Women generally have a wider choice of dress style for work than men, but still have to maintain an identity that balances professionalism with attractiveness... The skirt suit may achieve that balance without appearing provocative."