<p>*According to anthropologist Elizabeth Cashdan, high-powered working women are less likely to have the classic shape of a tiny waist with wide hips and large bosom due to the stress levels associated with their jobs.
Instead, women who work to support their families probably carry a touch more fat than they would like around their stomachs, rather than their hips, says Professor Cashdan.
The move away from the Hollywood siren of yesteryear towards the more angular
attractions of the likes of Keira Knightley is attributed to androgens, a type of hormone that includes testosterone.
These hormones help women become physically stronger and more able to withstand stress - attributes that are needed to hold down high-powered jobs.
As a result, working women today are more likely to have a more ‘straight up and down’ figure.</p>
<p>Read more: [End</a> of the hourglass: Career women usher in a straighter female form | Mail Online](<a href=“End of the hourglass: Career women usher in a straighter female form | Daily Mail Online”>End of the hourglass: Career women usher in a straighter female form | Daily Mail Online)*</p>