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Height discrimination
Height discrimination is prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on height. In principle, it refers to the discriminatory treatment against individuals whose height is not within the normal acceptable range of height in a population. Various studies have shown it to be a cause of bullying, commonly manifested as unconscious microaggressions.
Modern Western height discrimination originated in 19th century eugenic, Social Darwinist, and white supremacist movements, beginning with eugenicist Sir Francis Galton's observation of the correlation of human height between parents and offspring.[failed verification – see discussion] These movements promulgated pseudoscientific beliefs about the superiority of larger male stature, most grotesquely embodied by the Nazi height ideals within the social construct of the Aryan master race.[page needed]
In contrast, historical accounts of height discrimination in antiquity are uncommon. Furthermore, there is strong archeological and anthropological evidence that historically average height varied naturally around constant, but did not begin to dramatically increase until the Twentieth Century.
Research indicates that people often use height as heuristic proxy to judge social status and fitness, regardless of its accuracy. In related studies, men have been found to be more strongly judged based on height than women.
The term heightism was coined by sociologist Saul Feldman in a paper titled "The presentation of shortness in everyday life—height and heightism in American society: Toward a sociology of stature", presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association in 1971. Heightism was included in the Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English (1971) and had a further degree of popularization by Time magazine in a 1971 article on Feldman's paper.
The term heightism can also be seen as an example of the increase in popular usage of phrases, particularly those relating to prejudice and discrimination, patterned after that of the word sexism. Height discrimination can also come in the form of pejorative slang terms.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that height is strongly related to success for men. It showed that increase in height for men corresponds to increase in income after controlling for other social psychological variables like age and weight. That same year, a study published in the Journal of Political Economy conjectured a "height premium" and found that "a 1.8-percent increase in wages accompanies every additional inch [2.54 cm] of height". They also found that men's wages as adults could be linked to their height at age 16. The researchers found that on an average an increase in height by one inch (2.54 cm) at age 16 increased male adult wages by 2.6 percent. This is equal to an increase of approximately US$850 in 1996 annual earnings (or $1,700 in 2024). In other words, the height and corresponding social experiences of a taller male adolescent at age 16 would likely translate to higher wages in later adulthood as compared to a shorter male adolescent.
Recent findings suggest that height discrimination occurs most often against racial minorities. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior found that African-Americans reported higher weight and height related discrimination. This discrimination was even higher in female employees.
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Height discrimination
Height discrimination is prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on height. In principle, it refers to the discriminatory treatment against individuals whose height is not within the normal acceptable range of height in a population. Various studies have shown it to be a cause of bullying, commonly manifested as unconscious microaggressions.
Modern Western height discrimination originated in 19th century eugenic, Social Darwinist, and white supremacist movements, beginning with eugenicist Sir Francis Galton's observation of the correlation of human height between parents and offspring.[failed verification – see discussion] These movements promulgated pseudoscientific beliefs about the superiority of larger male stature, most grotesquely embodied by the Nazi height ideals within the social construct of the Aryan master race.[page needed]
In contrast, historical accounts of height discrimination in antiquity are uncommon. Furthermore, there is strong archeological and anthropological evidence that historically average height varied naturally around constant, but did not begin to dramatically increase until the Twentieth Century.
Research indicates that people often use height as heuristic proxy to judge social status and fitness, regardless of its accuracy. In related studies, men have been found to be more strongly judged based on height than women.
The term heightism was coined by sociologist Saul Feldman in a paper titled "The presentation of shortness in everyday life—height and heightism in American society: Toward a sociology of stature", presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association in 1971. Heightism was included in the Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English (1971) and had a further degree of popularization by Time magazine in a 1971 article on Feldman's paper.
The term heightism can also be seen as an example of the increase in popular usage of phrases, particularly those relating to prejudice and discrimination, patterned after that of the word sexism. Height discrimination can also come in the form of pejorative slang terms.
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology showed that height is strongly related to success for men. It showed that increase in height for men corresponds to increase in income after controlling for other social psychological variables like age and weight. That same year, a study published in the Journal of Political Economy conjectured a "height premium" and found that "a 1.8-percent increase in wages accompanies every additional inch [2.54 cm] of height". They also found that men's wages as adults could be linked to their height at age 16. The researchers found that on an average an increase in height by one inch (2.54 cm) at age 16 increased male adult wages by 2.6 percent. This is equal to an increase of approximately US$850 in 1996 annual earnings (or $1,700 in 2024). In other words, the height and corresponding social experiences of a taller male adolescent at age 16 would likely translate to higher wages in later adulthood as compared to a shorter male adolescent.
Recent findings suggest that height discrimination occurs most often against racial minorities. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior found that African-Americans reported higher weight and height related discrimination. This discrimination was even higher in female employees.