Do You Make Less Money Than Your Taller Peers?
A recent study at the University of Florida found that over the
span of their careers short people earn less money than their
taller counterparts. In terms of cold hard cash, each extra inch
in height equals roughly $800 difference in annual pay. So,
essentially a person standing at 5 ft 8 inches tall will make
about $9600 less annually than someone standing at 6 ft 8 inches
tall.
It's surprise that in this post-modern era our incomes are
influenced so strongly by our physical statures. The figure of
$9600 per year, in the example above, should be a stark enough
example of this - but the practice seems even more unsettling
when multiplied over a career spanning 30 years. Just by being a
foot shorter than your peers, you are likely to earn $288,000
less over 30 years than they do.
You would think that in an 'enlightened era,' such as the one in
which we live, that payscale would be based on individual and
team results rather than physical height characteristics.
Unfortunately the study shows otherwise.
So, what are we to do?
Should we form an affirmative action group to pursue the
correction of these practices?
It