The Blowhard
08-13-2002, 11:26 PM
Short women more successful with men
00:01 14 August 02
NewScientist.com news service
Shorter women are more likely to have long-term relationships with men, and more likely to have children, according to a study of 10,000 people born in the UK in 1958.
The average height for a British woman is 1.62 metres (5 feet, 4 inches). But those who were between 1.51 and 1.58 metres were most likely to be married and to have children by the age of 42. This relationship held true even after accounting for social class.
The study also found that women prefer men who are taller than average. A man of 1.83 metres (6 feet exactly) was more likely to have a partner and children than a man standing at the average height of 1.77 metres (5 feet, 10 inches).
But why men should prefer smaller women is unclear, says Daniel Nettle of the Open University, who led the research. "There is no evidence that shorter women conceive more quickly or are more fertile in a contemporary population," he says. In fact, previous studies have found that smaller women are more likely to die in childbirth.
<img src=http://home.ix.netcom.com/~camman/_uimages/Heckler2.gif>
"It takes good taste to appreciate bad taste"
00:01 14 August 02
NewScientist.com news service
Shorter women are more likely to have long-term relationships with men, and more likely to have children, according to a study of 10,000 people born in the UK in 1958.
The average height for a British woman is 1.62 metres (5 feet, 4 inches). But those who were between 1.51 and 1.58 metres were most likely to be married and to have children by the age of 42. This relationship held true even after accounting for social class.
The study also found that women prefer men who are taller than average. A man of 1.83 metres (6 feet exactly) was more likely to have a partner and children than a man standing at the average height of 1.77 metres (5 feet, 10 inches).
But why men should prefer smaller women is unclear, says Daniel Nettle of the Open University, who led the research. "There is no evidence that shorter women conceive more quickly or are more fertile in a contemporary population," he says. In fact, previous studies have found that smaller women are more likely to die in childbirth.
<img src=http://home.ix.netcom.com/~camman/_uimages/Heckler2.gif>
"It takes good taste to appreciate bad taste"