Evidence for Policymakers
CROWN’s policy briefs translate complex research findings into concise, actionable documents designed for legislators, government advisors, and regulatory bodies. Each brief presents quantitative evidence, policy implications, and concrete recommendations in a format calibrated for time-constrained decision-makers.
Policy briefs draw on data from the CROWN Discrimination Index, the CROWN Hair Commons, and the broader research base compiled in our Source Library.
Forthcoming Briefs
The Economic Cost of Hair Discrimination in France
CROWN’s first policy brief is currently in development. Drawing on CDI pilot data and economic modelling, this brief will quantify the annual economic cost of hair discrimination in France across four dimensions: direct conformity spending (products, treatments, salon services), lost productivity (time spent on hair alteration), career deflection (wage gaps and promotion barriers), and healthcare costs (mental health treatment, physical health consequences of chemical exposure).
The brief is designed to inform deliberations on the Serva bill as it progresses to the French Senate.
Expected release: 2026
Planned Series
Subsequent briefs will address:
- Hair Discrimination in European Schools — evidence on the impact of grooming policies on students with textured hair, drawing on UK EHRC guidance and CROWN’s European data
- Grooming Policies and the Equality Act — analysis of how existing European anti-discrimination frameworks apply to appearance-based discrimination in the workplace
- The Case for a European Hair Discrimination Index — presenting CROWN’s CDI methodology as a model for EU-wide equality monitoring
- Chemical Straightening and Public Health — translating the NIH (2022) findings on cancer risk into a European public health context
Access and Distribution
CROWN’s policy briefs will be available for free download from this page. Policymakers, journalists, and researchers may also request briefs directly at contact@crown.ngo.
All briefs are published under a Creative Commons Attribution licence, permitting redistribution with attribution, to maximise their reach and impact.
For the evidence base underlying these briefs, see Key Statistics and The Data Gap.