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Heightism is a form of discrimination based on height. In principle it can refer to unfavorable treatment of either unusually tall or short people. In practice heightism almost always takes the form of unfavorable treatment of shorter people and more favorable treatment of taller people (particularly tall men); the exception to this being that taller women generally have a harder time dating than shorter women. Examples of this are the above average heights of some presidents and CEOs; however, one must keep in mind that this is not universal (see Heightism in Politics)
Heightism and bullying
Shorter persons are more likely to be victims of bullying. Not surprisingly, a bully will normally target smaller persons on the grounds that they are perceived to be less able to defend themselves physically. Because bullying during childhood and adolescence often undermines the victim's self esteem, some researchers speculate that the lower levels of achievement of shorter persons (particularly men) in later life may be partly or largely explained by this lower self esteem rather than by discrimination.*
Heightism in employment
With the possible exception of some manual labor jobs and some professional sports, a person's height would not seem to have an effect on how well they are able to perform their job. Nevertheless, studies have shown that short people are paid less than taller people, with disparities similar in magnitude to the race and gender gaps. [http://www.essex.ac.uk/ilr/eeeg/Conference1/Harper.pdf. This disparity applies to both women and men, but since women are on average shorter it raises the question of whether part of the wage gap between men and women may in fact be explained by heightism.Generally, height discrimination takes the form of covert discrimination, with people being passed over for promotion or denied jobs in the first instance.
A survey of Fortune 500 CEO height in 2005 revealed that they were on average 6 feet tall, which is 3 inches taller than the average American man. Fully 30% of these CEOs were 6 foot 2 inches tall or more; in comparison only 3.9% of the overall United States population is of this height.Equally significantly, similar surveys have uncovered that less than 3% of CEOs were below 5'7" in height, and that 90% of CEOs are of above average height. [http://www.shortsupport.org/News/0106.html
Subjectively, many short persons report they are not taken seriously in the work place or by their peers because of their smaller stature*.
Objectively, surveys of attitudes do reveal that people both perceive and treat people of shorter stature as inferior, *" target="_blank" >and that the significant economic differentials are the direct result of height discrimination. [http://www.shortsupport.org/News/0301.html
Heightism in politics
Short candidates are disadvantaged in electoral politics at least in the United States (where statistics are available for study). Of the 43 U.S. Presidents, only five have been more than an inch below average height. Moreover, of the 54 US presidential elections only 13 have been won by the shorter candidate, and only 11 times has the shorter candidate received more popular (as opposed to electoral) votes. Quantitative studies of U.S. Senators and Governors have also shown that they are on average several inches taller than the U.S. population at large.*
Non-electoral politics are more difficult to study as outcomes based on height are more difficult to quantify. Nevertheless, a number of powerful dictators have been below average height. Examples include Engelbert Dollfuss (4'11), Deng Xiaoping (5'0), Kim Jong Il (5'3), Nikita Khrushchev (5'3), Francisco Franco (5'4), and Josef Stalin (5'5). Contrary to popular impression, Napoleon Bonaparte at 5'6.5 was slightly above average height for the time he lived.
Heightism and conflict
Heightism is cited as one of the underlying causes of The Rwandan Civil War, in which approximately one million people were killed. It is believed that one of the reasons that political power was conferred to the minority Tutsis by the exiting Belgians was because they were taller and therefore (in the eyes of the Belgians) considered superior and more suited to governance."Heightism rears its ugly head"
Heightism in dating and marriage
Heightism may also be a factor in dating preferences. For most women, the height of a man is a major factor in sexual attractiveness. The greater reproductive success of taller men is attested to by studies indicating that taller men are more likely to be married and to have more children. * Quantitative studies of woman-for-men personal advertisements have shown strong preference for tall men, with a large percentage indicating that a man significantly below average height was unacceptable. [http://www.shortsupport.org/Research/personals.html
Conversely, studies have shown that women of below average height are more likely to be married and have children than women of above average height. Some reasons which have been suggested for this situation include earlier fertility of shorter women, and that a shorter woman makes her partner feel taller in comparison and therefore more "manly." Consistent with this, taller women are actually more likely to accept a shorter man as a partner.[http://www.shortsupport.org/Research/personals.html
It is unclear and debated as to the extent to which such preferences are innate or are the function of a society in which height discrimination impacts on socio-economic status.
Heightism in the media
In the media, heightism can take the form of making fun of short men in ways that would be unseemly if directed at skin color or weight (especially female weight). Examples of characters whose short stature is exploited for comic value are:
"Archaeology Today" sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus deals with heightism* in which an interviewer humorously admits to assessing his subject's credibility based on their height.
In the cartoon series Invader Zim, the alien race of the Irken had a class system based entirely on height, the empire being ruled by those of the greatest stature, literally referred to as the Almighty Tallest.
Similarly, shorter men are often denied leading roles. Although some famous cinema actors such as Alan Ladd and Tom Cruise have been short in real life, in their fictional depictions they have been presented as taller. This distortion reinforces the cultural prejudice that taller men are inherently superior to shorter men, and that taller men are in some sense more worthy of dominant social roles, and that short men are less so.
Randy Newman's song Short People deals with Heightism in a satirical, light-hearted manner as a protest against bigotry in general. Nevertheless, some people find this song offensive.*
Resources for short adults
The National Organization of Short Statured Adults is committed to the open discussion of heightism and sponsors a message-board at http://heightism.aimoo.com In addition, Steve Goldsmith operates the Short Support website at www.shortsupport.org which has been providing the short community with valuable resources on heightism related topics.
See also
"Heightism"