# Gender Height...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 18, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395 "2001-09-18T15:20:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chekmate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@Chekmate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chekmate)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395/1 "2001-09-18T15:20:15Z")

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Just curious as to why men are generally taller then women. Is this a genetic thing or what. Thanks

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**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395/2 "2001-09-18T15:27:22Z")

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Pretty much a genetic thing…but more of a biological difference between men and women. Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone differences, among others, drive the average height of men past that of women. Nutrition during development can have an impact too, to exagerrate the effects. Men are encouraged indirectly to eat more when young, and the difference in height gets greater.

The height difference is narrowing, and will continue to narrow over time.

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**Author:** ![Chekmate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@Chekmate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chekmate)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395/3 "2001-09-18T15:39:16Z")

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I remember reading somewhere that men in the middle ages were much shorter then they are now. If that is related to the nutrition and food intake differences between now and then, then wouldn’t the women have gotten taller too? Admittedly, there are more taller women now then then, but shouldn’t the average height have gone up about the same as men, scince their diet changed almost the same?

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**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395/4 "2001-09-18T16:56:00Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Chekmate \*  
> \*\*I remember reading somewhere that men in the middle ages were much shorter then they are now. If that is related to the nutrition and food intake differences between now and then, then wouldn’t the women have gotten taller too? Admittedly, there are more taller women now then then, but shouldn’t the average height have gone up about the same as men, scince their diet changed almost the same? \*\*

Uh, women have gotten taller too. The average height for American women has increased even over the past few generations.

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**Author:** ![gruven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a9a28c/32.png) [@gruven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gruven)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-height/82395/5 "2001-09-18T16:58:01Z")

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Also, men look like they do because that’s what women find pleasing. Same with women looking like they do. If over time women liked taller men (or men preferred smaller women), then those preferred shapes and sizes would tend to reproduce more… You know how it goes after that.