Tall Men Make More Money than Shorter Ones

Posted by Nick on May 19th, 2009 in Life & Style | 1 comment

A new study has concluded that size does matter when it comes to earning potential.

A six foot tall man could expet to earn 1.5 per cent more than a colleague who is an inch shorter. The research compared the pay of 20,000 people. Height difference in women required a more significant difference of 4 inches to impact their earnings.

Andrew Leigh, an ANU economist and one of the authors of the report, said: “We found that taller people earn more, with the effect being strongest for men. For example, the average man in our sample is five feet ten inches tall. Our estimates suggest that if he were six feet tall, he would earn another 1.5 per cent, or around £470 per year.

“The wage gain from another two inches is approximately equal to one more year of labour market experience. However, we found that the effect of height on women’s wages was smaller than for men, and not statistically significant.”

Professor Leigh said more research was needed:

“Perhaps this has to do with status – having greater respect for taller people that might be inadvertently leading to higher wages,” he said.

“Perhaps it is because of discrimination – shorter people getting the same treatment in the labour market women and minorities have experienced in the past.”

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