Are Height Requirements Killing Your Chance At Love?

Do you have a “height requirement” when it comes to dating?

If so, you run the risk of never finding your perfect match.

In our experience, many women are sticklers when it comes to the height of their matches. It is pretty crazy to hear this, actually, that some women will turn down a match because he is two inches shorter than their “ideal” height, even if he is still 3 inches taller than she is. If he sounds perfect but is “too short” the poor guy doesn’t even get a shot. Never mind that he might be the sweetest, funniest, most successful guy you’d ever want to meet, cares about things, wants a family, loves Thai food as much as you do, and shares your passion for paddle boarding – he’s just not tall enough. OH WELL.

Sounds crazy, right?

Reality check, please!

The average height of a North American man is 5’9″. Research tells us that of all the available men out there, only 14% are over 6′. This means that women who are hanging on to this standard are missing the chance to connect with the other 86%, just because he doesn’t measure up.

So, if you are a tall woman who has a height requirement of 6’3”, by eliminating all the possible matches that are shorter than that, it’s quite possible you should get used to being single. I mean, miracles do happen, but in reality, your chances are greatly reduced.

Why do women want taller men?

There are plenty of reasons that women are attracted to taller men. Some of these reasons are deeply ingrained in our DNA, as perhaps a taller man is seen as more masculine, and better able to protect and provide. It is also possible that a taller man makes the woman feel more petite and feminine.

Some studies even suggest that women who have a strong preference for taller men are usually only looking for a casual relationship – could that be true? As height and physical attributes are just a part of the bigger picture, one would hope that things like kindness, intelligence, intimacy, financial stability, and physical health might be more of an issue, and height doesn’t figure into any of these things.

What’s a man’s perspective on height?

Height seems far less important to the men that we work with. While most men prefer to be at least slightly taller than their match, it’s a rare occasion that a male client will have a specific height preference. Men tend to put more emphasis on whether his match is fun, friendly, funny, sexy, smart, engaging, and whether they are into them. Height rarely crops up in the conversation, unless the man is unusually short. In this case, they are usually more concerned about how the women will feel about dating a shorter man, not about the woman’s height in the least.

Ladies, open yourself up to the possibilities.

Women who are more traditional in their view of gender roles seem to prefer that their match is at least somewhat taller than they are, but if the woman herself is very tall, this can be a restrictive requirement. If every woman thought along these lines, then there would be some pretty tough competition for the relatively few men in this category – can you imagine? Hundreds of single women vying for maybe 20 men? It’s a reality show in the making!

If you are one of these women, you can open yourself up to a wider range of match possibilities simply by losing the height requirement. You will stand a much better chance of fulfilling your relationship expectations and finding that “forever” match you’ve always hoped for.