Taller women aim higher in their careers and attach less importance to having children than shorter ones, according to a new study
Nigel Hawkes:
The taller a woman is, the less maternal her personality and the less broody she feels about children, say the researchers, Denis Deady, from Stirling University, and Miriam Law Smith, of St Andrews University.
Taller women aim for fewer children, and put off having their first for longer, the research found.
But they set more store by a career than shorter women, and are more competitive.
The two psychologists, who have published their findings in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, questioned 1,220 women — 679 of them aged between 20 and 29, and 541 over the age of 45.
The average height of the women surveyed was just over 5ft 5in — higher than the average for the UK, which is 5ft 4in.
The study aimed to establish whether height, which is controlled by sex hormones, is related to psychological profile. The results suggest that it is.
The more traditional explanation of the relative childlessness of taller women is that they find it harder to attract a partner. But the authors reject this.
They conclude, rather, that taller women have more of the male sex hormone testosterone, which could give them more “male” traits, such as being assertive, competitive and ambitious.
Mr Deady said: “Previous studies have suggested that taller women may have more trouble finding mates.
“But we think that tall women may have higher levels of testosterone which may cause them to have more ‘masculine’ personalities.”
More evidence of the influence of biology on human behavior.
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posted by Adam Lawson @ 12:19 PM
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Personality and Individual Differences (Article in Press)
Height in women predicts maternal tendencies and career orientation
Denis K. Deady and Miriam J. Law Smithb
Abstract
Previous research has shown that variation in sex-specific personality traits in women can be predicted by measures of physical masculinisation (second to fourth digit ratio and circulating testosterone). This study aimed to test the hypothesis that certain sex-specific traits in women (maternal tendencies and career orientation) could be predicted by one index of masculinisation, height. Data was collected via online questionnaires. In pre-reproductive women (aged 20–29, n = 679), increasing height related to decreasing maternal personality (lower importance of having children, lower maternal/broodiness) and decreasing reproductive ambition (fewer ideal number of children, older ideal own age to have first child). Increasing height also related to increasing career orientation (higher importance of having a career, and higher career competitiveness). In post-reproductive women (aged over 45, n = 541), increasing height related to decreased reproductive events (fewer children, had first child at older age) and increased career orientation. Results provide further support for previous studies that show physical masculinisation is associated with psychological masculinisation.
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