Muslim women who wear headscarves feel more of a Muslim by doing so but think they have better chances of a job and suffer less discrimination if they take them off, according to a survey of 1,500 women by research bureau Motivaction.

The research is part of the launch of a glossy magazine for headscarf-wearers Hoofdboek, a play on the Dutch word for headscarf hoofddoek, Trouw reports on Tuesday.
Some 93% of the women surveyed said wearing a headscarf made them feel more of a Muslim, Turk or Moroccan. Only 66% said they covered their hair because it was required by Islam.
Some 70% said they felt accepted at their jobs despite their headscarf but 62% thought some firms would rather not employ women who wear them.
Of the women who had stopped covering their heads, 41% did it to increase their chance of a job and 20% hoped they would suffer less discrimination, the survey showed.