Tall men likely to have bigger families

Tall men are likely to have more children than their shorter contemporaries, according to a study showing that the reverse is true for women.

A study of 10,000 men and women born in 1958 found that height plays a significant role in the likelihood of a person finding a partner and having children by the time they reach the age of 42.

British men of average height – 5ft 10in (178 cms) – had significantly fewer children by middle age than a 6ft 1in tall man. For women, however, those most likely to be married with children by the same age were between 4ft 11in and 5ft 2in, below the average female height of 5ft 4in.

Daniel Nettle of the Open University, author of the study published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society, said the findings showed the difference in height between the sexes continued to play a role in the likelihood of someone finding a partner and having children with them. "It is known from psychological tests that women find tall men attractive but that men don't particularly find tall women attractive, Dr Nettle said. "These results show that this does play out in real life."

The analysis of the National Child Development Study – a survey of all children born in one week in 1958 – found there were extremes in both sexes, with very short men and very tall women being more likely to be childless by the age of 42. One reason could be that tall girls tended to reach sexual maturity slightly later in life, Dr Nettle said.