They often say that blondes have more fun, and now a new study says that they rake in the most amount of dough, too.
Conducted by the U.K.'s Superdrug chain, the study found that ladies with lighter locks earn about $870 more per year than their brunette or redhead counterparts, reports UK's The Daily Mail.
The study analyzed the earnings of 3,000 working British women, and found that the average blonde takes home about $35,650 a year, compared to $34,780 for brunettes, and $34,380 for redheads.
Even though the blondes earned a higher salary, the most common complaint among the women was that they don't feel they're taken seriously at work. Yet, many of the surveyed blondes confessed that they didn't mind the ditzier stereotype, and in some cases, even play it up to their advantage.
"Traditionally, the stereotype of a blonde is that she is maybe a little ditzy and a bimbo, but this shows they are the higher earners," says Simon Comins, director of toiletries at Superdrug.
"Over a lifetime, earning $600 pounds [approx $924] more a year can really add up, so blonde women really are having the last laugh," adds Comins.
In terms of self-worth, brunettes grabbed the prize in that category -- with eight out of ten women saying that they felt respected and valued in the workplace. Raven-haired womenare also more likely to stay at one job and work up the title and monetary ladder, as they rated compensation as more important to them than either blondes or redheads.
Meanwhile, redheads were shown to have the greatest working drive of all the categories, with most hours logged, both at work and at home in the evenings.
Most socially engaging of the three categories are the blondes, who told researchers they value friendly client relationships the most at work, and also think it's important to make friends with coworkers.
Blondes also crave more acknowledgement from peers for a job well done, as compared to brunettes and redheads who say they don't seek out the same level of flattery from others.
Ironically, it's the blondes who have the highest percentage of college degrees and master diplomas -- which may also serve as a factor in their higher pay scale.
"This research goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover, and you shouldn't make assumptions about people just because of the way they look," said Comins.
So what does a study like this mean for a drugstore chain like Superdrug? Higher hair color sales, of course.
But while blondes came out the glossy winners in this study, Comins actually predicts it'll be dark hair that will soon return as the best-selling shade of choice.
"Next year, we are predicting the rise of the Brunette Bombshell as customers aim to emulate the classic refined style of Kate Middleton."
We think the Queen Mother would approve.
