Human height is a heritable trait that is known to be influenced by environmental factors and general standard of living. Individual and population stature is correlated with health, education and economic achievement. Strong sexual selection pressures for stature have been observed in multiple diverse populations, however; there is significant global variance in gender equality and prohibitions on female mate selection. This paper explores the contribution of general standard of living and gender inequality to the variance in global female population heights. Female population heights of 96 nations were culled from previously published sources and public access databases. Factor analysis with United Nations international data on education rates, life expectancy, incomes, maternal and childhood mortality rates, ratios of gender participation in education and politics, the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Gender Inequality Index (GII) was run. Results indicate that population heights vary more closely with gender inequality than with population health, income or education.

Human height is a quantitative trait influenced by genetics and environmental conditions. Historical records from several European nations show a rapid increase in average population heights during the 19th century. Improvements in nutrition and public health are known contributors to this increase, but, theoretically, evolutionary selection may have also played a role. Women prefer taller mates, and sexual selection for height has likely contributed to evolutionary changes in human height. However, cultural restrictions on mate selection freedom prior to the 19th century may have blunted the effects of this mate preference. We hypothesized that a shift toward gender equality in 19th century Sweden increased mate selection freedom for women and amplified sexual selection for height. A mathematical model supported environmental factors as the main force driving population height change, and suggested a limited role for sexual selection. More generally, the model provides a framework for studying interactions between cultural change and evolutionary selection mechanisms.

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