In many polls about what they want in a mate, women always note that they want to marry someone with confidence, ambition and a sense of humor. However, taking the intangibles off the table, one trait almost half of them want is a tall man. A study conducted by Rice University and the University of North Texas found that 13.5% of the men wanted to date only women shorter than they are. In contrast, nearly half of the women — 48.9% — wanted to date only men taller than they are.
However, is the search for a taller man worth it? A new study from NYU says maybe not. Sociologists from the school went through data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), which has collected information on the same 4,500 families since 1968.
Data from 1986, which was the first year height was recorded, through reveled that men who were classified as short (less than 66" in 1986; less than 67" in 2009) or tall (more than 73" in 1986; more than 74" in 2009) had very opposite marriage track records.
Short men married later in life than average or tall men, but were 32% less likely to divorce. The numbers also said they were more likely to marry less educated and younger women. Once married, they did less of the housework and earned a much higher income than their spouse.
Tall men married sooner in life, but were more at risk for divorce later on. However, researchers note that the link between short men and stable marriages could be because they chose to marry later.
For more:
New Study Reveals Interesting Link Between Men's Height And Divorce (Huffington Post)
Photo: Flickr/Sean Molin