Heightism

Heightism is a form of discrimination based on height. In principle it can refer to unfavorable treatment of either unusually tall or short people. In practice, heightism almost always takes the form of unfavorable treatment of shorter people and more favorable treatment of taller people (particularly tall men), the exception to this being that taller women generally have a harder time dating than shorter women (see dating and marriage section). Examples of this include the above average heights of the great majority of US presidents and CEOs.

Heightism and bullying
Research shows that shorter persons are more likely to be victims of bullying. Not surprisingly, a bully will normally target smaller persons on the grounds that they are perceived to be less able to defend themselves physically. Because bullying during childhood and adolescence often undermines the victim’s self esteem, some researchers speculate that the lower levels of achievement of shorter people (particularly men) in later life may be partly or largely explained by this lower self esteem rather than by discrimination.

Heightism in employment
Some jobs do require or at least favor tall persons, including some manual labor jobs and many professional sports; and US military pilots have to be 64 to 77 inches tall with a sitting height of 34 to 40 inches. These exceptions noted, in the great majority of cases a person’s height would not seem to have an effect on how well they are able to perform their job. Nevertheless, studies have shown that short people are paid less than taller people, with disparities similar in magnitude to the race and gender gaps. Generally, height discrimination takes the form of covert discrimination, with people being passed over for promotion or denied jobs in the first instance.

A survey of Fortune 500 CEO height in 2005 revealed that they were on average 6 feet tall, which is 3 inches taller than the average American man. Fully 30% of these CEOs were 6 foot 2 inches tall or more; in comparison only 3.9% of the overall United States population is of this height. Equally significantly, similar surveys have uncovered that less than 3% of CEOs were below 5′7″ in height, and that 90% of CEOs are of above average height.

Some epidemiological studies have shown that intelligence is positively correlated with height in human populations (see Height and intelligence). This does not imply that many short people are not highly intelligent, or that changes in physical height have a direct effect on cognitive ability. Indeed, intelligence is believed to be influenced by many different factors, and individuals with a wide range of intelligence can be observed at any given height; it may be that good childhood nutrition tends to result in greater adult height, and good childhood nutrition also tends to result in higher adult intelligence. A recent study using four data sets from the US and UK found that after controlling for difference in cognitive test scores, there was no detectable independent effect of height itself on adult earnings, indicating that the height premium in adult earnings can be explained by childhood scores on intelligence tests.

However, others believe that height has a significant independent impact, pointing to specific instances of height-based discrimination. Subjectively, many short persons report they are not taken seriously in the workplace or by their peers because of their smaller stature. Objectively, surveys of attitudes do reveal that people both perceive and treat people of shorter stature as inferior, and that economic differentials exist which may be the result of height discrimination. The relationship between height, cognitive ability, and discrimination based on height remains a subject of debate.

Heightism in politics
Short candidates are disadvantaged in electoral politics at least in the United States (where statistics are available for study). Of the 43 U.S. Presidents, only five have been more than an inch below average height. Moreover, of the 54 US presidential elections only 13 have been won by the shorter candidate, and only 11 times has the shorter candidate received more popular (as opposed to electoral) votes. Quantitative studies of U.S. Senators and Governors have also shown that they are on average several inches taller than the U.S. population at large.

Non-electoral politics are more difficult to study as outcomes based on height are more difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, a number of powerful dictators have been below average height. Examples include Engelbert Dollfuss (4′11″; 1,50m), Deng Xiaoping (5′0″; 1,52m), Kim Jong Il (5′3″; 1.60m), Nikita Khrushchev (5′3″; 1.60m), Francisco Franco (5′4″; 1.63m), and Josef Stalin (5′5″; 1.65m). Contrary to popular impression, Napoleon Bonaparte at 5′6.5″ (1.69m) was slightly above average height for the time he lived. Adolf Hitler was also taller (5′8″; 1.73m) than has generally been assumed from fictional representations and some photographic records.

Heightism and conflict
Heightism is cited as one of the underlying causes of The Rwandan Civil War, in which approximately one million people were killed. It is believed that one of the reasons that political power was conferred to the minority Tutsis by the exiting Belgians was because they were taller and therefore (in the eyes of the Belgians) considered superior and more suited to governance.

Heightism in dating and marriage
Heightism may also be a factor in dating preferences. For most women, the height of a man is a major factor in sexual attractiveness. The greater reproductive success of taller men is attested to by studies indicating that taller men are more likely to be married and to have more children, except in societies with severe gender imbalances caused by war. Quantitative studies of woman-for-men personal advertisements have shown strong preference for tall men, with a large percentage indicating that a man significantly below average height was unacceptable. One example is male model Fabio Lanzoni, better known as “Fabio”, who famously appears on romance novel covers and stands 1.98m (6′6″).

Conversely, studies have shown that women of below average height are more likely to be married and have children than women of above average height. Some reasons which have been suggested for this situation include earlier fertility of shorter women, and that a shorter woman makes her partner feel taller in comparison and therefore more “manly.” Consistent with this, taller women are actually more likely to accept a shorter man as a partner.

It is unclear and debated as to the extent to which such preferences are innate or are the function of a society in which height discrimination impacts on socio-economic status.

Height discrimination legislation
Currently, there is one state in the United States of America, Michigan, that prohibits height discrimination. There is pending legislation introduced by Massachusetts Representative Byron Rushing which would add Massachusetts to the list. Two municipalities currently prohibit height discrimination: Santa Cruz, California and San Francisco, California. The District Of Columbia prohibits discrimination based on personal appearance. Ontario, Canada prohibits height discrimination under the human rights code. Victoria, Australia prohibits discrimination based on physical features under the Equal Opportunity Act of 1995. Examples of successful legal battles pursued against height discrimination in the workplace, include: a 2002 Chinese case involving highly qualified applicants being turned down for jobs at a bank because they were considered too short ; a 2005 Swedish case involving an unfair height requirement for employment implemented by Volvo car company ; and a 1999 case involving a Kohler Company informal practice not to consider women who applied for jobs unless they were at least 5 feet 4 inches tall. Height requirements for employment which are not a bona fide occupational requirement are becoming more and more uncommon.

Resources for short adults
The National Organization of Short Statured Adults is committed to the open discussion of heightism and sponsors a free message-board at http://heightism.aimoo.com In addition, Steve Goldsmith operates the Short Support website at www.shortsupport.org which has been providing the short community with valuable resources on heightism related topics since 2000.

Sites that gear towards women include somesmallsense.blogspot.com, www.the-chic-petite.com, and www.shorty-stories.com.All of which discuss fashion issues that shorter women face.