A study that was done in Australia has found that taller people earn more money, according to Yahoo News. The study showed that men who were six feet tall earned $1,000 more per year than men who were five feet eleven inches. Men who were six feet tall also earned $5,000 more a year than men who were five feet five inches.
The study also found that the height factor played a role for people of all ages and genders. Both women and men in the work force experienced gaps in their pay according to their height. In addition, height was a factor that determined the pay scale for people of all ages.
The reason that taller men are believed to earn more money is because they “are perceived to be more intelligent and powerful” (Yahoo News). Other possible reasons that may explain why taller people earn more money could be because they are more confident and may often have stronger leadership skills. People may respect taller people more due to these reasons.
Evolution may also play a role in the amount of money that tall people earn in comparison to short people. Back in the olden times, it was very common to believe that tall people were simply more powerful. It ultimately goes back to the idea of the survival of the fittest. Since tallness is considered to be an advantage, it would explain why tall people are still thought to be more powerful today.
This study in Australia is not the only one which has measured how much people earn according to the height. There are studies which have been performed in both the United States and Britain which show that people earn $950 a year for every extra inch that they have.
There was also a study done in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania. The study found that a person’s height at sixteen affected their salary as an adult. Shorter teens earned less than taller teens when they reached adulthood. This supports the fact that height affects the salaries of people at all ages.
What the study does not mention is the type of jobs that tall people hold. This could account for the reason that they earn more than those who are short. Although short people are often strong as well, tall people may be more likely to obtain job positions which require more physical labor. This could explain the gap in pay.
It may seem like tall people have a major advantage over short people. You do not necessarily need to wish that you were tall just yet, however. Yahoo News mentions that being tall does have its disadvantages as well. According to Arianne Cohen, who is the author of “The Tall Book,” says that being tall can actually be more expensive. Their clothes and food can cost money. Living expenses can also cost more money for people who are tall because they may need homes that have larger door frames, depending on their height.
