Why Women Prefer Taller Men

Women’s reasons for dating taller men and the good news for short men near the end of this story.

There is a seeming trend in the world of dating that females tend to be most attracted to males that are of a larger height than theirs. If one were to closely observe their everyday surroundings, they would discover that among a majority of heterosexual couples they encounter, that the male is usually the taller counterpart.

According to a research study in 1980 at St Thomas University, records of couple’s bank accounts revealed that only 1 out of 720 couples had a taller female. Moreover, a more recent study in 2014, conducted in collaboration with the University of North Texas and Rice University, found among a sample of Yahoo dating platform users that only 13.5% of males had a firm preference for shorter women while 48.9% of females reported they would only date taller men.

So, the data is evidently clear that women have a preference for taller men. However, the reasons as to why this is the case are often complicated and require a thorough psychological analysis of key theories and research studies to provide conclusive context for this phenomenon of female mating preference which continues to remain prevalent in the modern era of dating. One of the best ways to examine the explanations for this aspect of dating is through the popular psychological debate of nature vs nurture.

Nature and Evolution

Psychologists on the nature side of the argument claim that a women’s preference for taller men is biologically pre-programmed and influenced by evolution and is, thus, hardwired from birth. In the context of evolution, women in ancient times, typically lusted for men who were seen as being strong, powerful, capable and independent because it served as an evolutionary advantage in terms of survival.

This is because having a male partner with these attributes allowed women to produce offspring able to inherit key traits and receive a sufficient amount of resources to boost their survival chances and protect future generations of offspring. It is claimed by evolutionary psychologists that female mating choices like these had been influenced by physical features in men such as height.

Although there is no historical evidence for this assertion, this notion is consistent with a piece of modern-day research in 2000 by a group of British and Polish researchers who, having examined medical records of male patients at a Polish medical centre, found that taller men achieved more reproductive success than shorter men. Also, another 2015 study in the Netherlands, the tallest country in the world, found a positive correlation between a Dutch man’s height and the number of children they had. These studies suggest that the taller a man is, then the more children he is likely to have.

Evolutionists also claim that women in ancient times actively searched for tall male partners they perceived as strong and powerful for the purpose of protection against outside threats which their perceived lack of biological and physical strength left them exposed to. While there is also no historical evidence to support this, there is evidence from a modern-day American study to suggest that most women in fear of being victims of violent crimes are more likely to select male partners who are tall and capable of asserting physical dominance in situations of danger.

Findings like these can explain why commentators like Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist, argued that women do not seek harmless men, rather they prefer men who are dangerous because their ability to be reckless allows them to feel secure in threatening situations.

However, selecting a male partner who is superior in strength and physicality can put women at risk of being domestically abused and, in some worst cases, potentially murdered. This might explain why a piece of research by Stulp (2013) suggests that a women’s preference for taller men is only slight. The data from the study revealed that only 13.9% of couples had a taller male in which the height difference was greater than 25cm.

More compellingly though, similar results were yielded from another study of US undergraduates in which they expressed an average preference for the male to be only 17% taller than the female. Therefore, not only do the results from both of these studies serve as evidence to the fact that women prefer taller men but also to the minor degree by which this is the case and that women do not necessarily want to be dominated by their partner.

While all of the studies mentioned on the nature side of the argument offer support for the role of evolution in determining a women’s preference to date taller men, most of these studies are fairly modern and do not account for historical developments in the ways in which men and women have dated. Moreover, most of these studies were conducted in Western and European cultures which means the findings cannot be generalised to African, Asian or Middle Eastern cultures.

In an attempt to test the validity of the nature side of the argument, psychologists have conducted several cross-cultural studies of dating preferences to identify both patterns of similarities and differences in the ways men and women of different cultures date in relation to height preference.

Although men tend to be taller than their female partners in most cultures, most of these studies have found that there are still cultural variations in the manner by which men and women from different cultures date as far as height differences are concerned, which suggests that while a women’s preference to date taller men is somewhat biological, it can also be shaped by culture. This is something which will be looked at in detail when analysing the role of nurture and cultural influences in a women’s preference to date taller men.

Nevertheless, the nature side of this debate remains fundamentally important to psychologists in helping them to understand how this phenomena plays out in the modern world of dating and how women throughout ancient history have been biologically pre-programmed to seek male partners they believe can offer them and their offspring enough protection and resources needed to survive in dangerous and unpredictable ever-changing climates.

Nurture and Culture

Psychologists on the nurture side of the argument assert that a women’s biological preference to date taller men is reinforced by culture through a set of societal norms and values that promote these types of dating preferences.

Therefore, it’s not that psychologists on this side of the argument are in denial of the role that biology and evolution plays in shaping this choice among women, but rather that these biological predispositions can be shaped and moulded by culture and the environments in which women are raised. Luckily, this means that women can come to realise they don’t necessarily need a tall male protector and that they are independently just as strong and capable of looking after themselves without the support of men.

With this in mind, it can be expected that differences in the ways in which men and women select partners on the basis of height varies by culture. In many non-western cultures, it is argued that height preferences in dating are less prominent than can be observed in western cultures.

One study by a group of Polish, German and Namibian researchers found that in the Himba of Northern Namibia, a strong 30% of individuals preferred partners of equal height and more than 20% of men were found to have chosen a female partner taller than themselves. The latter figure is significantly more than what was discovered in the earlier mentioned 1980 study at St Thomas University in which only 1 out of 720 couples (0.1%) were found to have a taller female partner.

Moreover, another study by the same group of Polish researchers found among a sample of men and women from the Yali tribe in Papua that height was not as strong a factor when evaluating the attractive state of a potential partner in comparison to Western cultures. These findings seem to indicate that height preferences in these cultures are not as strong as those in Western cultures.

However, at the same time, it is also understood that height preferences in other non-western cultures are more pronounced than in Western cultures. Another study by a group of Polish and Russian researchers found that both men and women in Tanzania would only date partners who are much taller or shorter than themselves, thus indicating a larger height preference in Tanzania than what is typically found in Western Cultures.

Culture may also influence a women’s preference to date taller men in the way in which tallness is often rewarded in society. Taller people are usually more successful than shorter people and are likely to achieve higher occupational and social status and earn more money.

One study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that workers who are 6 feet tall are paid an average of $166,000 more than those who are 5 feet 5 inches. More interestingly though, according to some statistics in the Atlantic, each increase in an inch of height is associated with an additional $800 per year. Other research has shown that CEOS have an average height of 6 feet which exceeds the normal average height of 5 feet 10.5 inches.

Also, in U.S. presidential elections, the tallest candidates are usually the ones who come out on top. One study by Greg Murray, a Political Scientist at Texas Tech University, found that between 1789 and 2012, the taller candidates won 58% of elections and received 67% of the popular vote in these elections. Murray concluded that this is because taller candidates are seen strong, authoritative, and assertive leaders who can carry a country through crisis and turmoil. However, Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over Donald Trump was an exception to this trend.

So given the considerable number of advantages that society gives to tall men, it makes sense why some women may find tall men to be attractive.

All of the evidence demonstrates that while a women’s preference to date taller men has a biological and evolutionary basis, the extent to which this preference develops further or is weakened is dependent on the effect of cultural and environmental variables. This means that norms and values which reinforce a women’s need to pursue taller men can be challenged to the extent that women are encouraged to be less selective over which choice of men to date based on physical apparels like height.

Perhaps one of the best ways to achieve this is to crush patriarchal views that reinforce such dating preferences and a women’s need to look for a tall male-protector who can take care of them and all of their needs.

Thankfully, there are many women out there seeking to encourage more women to drop these views and to give more shorter men a chance at dating. Poppy Noor, a writer for the Guardian, is one of the best examples of women doing this. At the end of her article, she quotes “Height is an unattainable beauty standard for short men — what are they supposed to do, grow? Come on, feminists: to accept that there are conventional male beauty standards doesn’t undermine our cause, it elevates it. Patriarchy isn’t just a standard that entraps women, it’s a standard that entraps everyone. This year, let’s spotlight the worth of our short kings.”.

None of this is to say that women shouldn’t date taller men or that men shouldn’t date shorter women, but rather that being open to dating men and women of all heights would be beneficial in helping those left-out have a better chance of finding their perfect loved-one. Its great that we are living in a time in which more women are consciously attempting to resist their hard-wired urge to seek protection in a tall male partner and assert their independence by demonstrating their many capabilities and strengths in equal proportions to men.

There is nothing better than seeing so many women taking a stance against patriarchy and showing themselves to be just as strong and as capable as men by actively seeking to take part in many various roles within society which were often reserved for men (e.g., the army, police) and letting tall, strong and powerful men know that their help and protection isn’t needed. Hopefully, this is something that will continue to emerge in the next few decades and beyond for the liberation of both men and women in the dating sphere and the world over.

Good News for Short Men

It may be off-putting for short men to hear all of this but please be rest assured that height is not a determining factor in dating success and being tall only serves as an advantage. Plus, even though I have had success in being with one partner, I’m a tall man who is quite used to being rejected by a lot of women (so many that I have lost count). So, judging from my experience, height certainly isn’t an overriding factor for dating success.

One study by researchers at Portland State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder found that women valued intelligence and personality over physical appearance. Therefore, women are more interested in men who are confident, charming, charismatic and good-humoured and are less interested in how a man looks.

According to dating coach Connell Barrett, owner of datingtransformation.com and author of ‘Dating Sucks, but You Don’t: The Modern Guy’s Guide to Total Confidence, Romantic Connection, and Finding the Perfect Partner’ “Height is a nice bonus, but it’s so overrated. The truth is, a lot of tall women say they don’t date shorter guys, but if a 5’5’’ dude is cool and confident and making her giggle, she’ll forget about her so-called height rule. When it comes to dating amazing women, being a guy who’s smart, cool and funny is better than being 6’4’’ with washboard abs.”.

If you are a short guy who has these qualities and is able to do the things Barret mentions, then there is no reason why you won’t achieve success with a women on a date. Just simply turning up and being yourself will eventually pay dividends in your quest to find your perfect female soulmate.

Final Thoughts

In attempting to figure out why women generally have a preference to date taller men, it is the popular nature vs nurture debate in psychology that seems to provide most of the answers.

Nature’s contributions to this debate certainly help us to understand how a women’s preference to date taller men is a biologically inherent survival instinct which can be traced back to evolution while nurture allows psychologists to understand how evolution and culture interact in developing or lessening a women’s need for this preference.

It is only by men and women coming to realise how culture influences their dating preferences that women can be more open to dating men of equal and shorter heights and that men can be more open to dating women of equal or taller heights.

In the end though, it is not height that counts, but rather the connection and chemistry that is developed between a couple and as long as that is there, then other factors relating to physical appearance like height become far less relevant and love takes over.

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