Study: Tall women are more ambitious

Two Scottish researchers say they've determined tall women are more ambitious in their careers and less inclined to start a family than shorter women.

Psychologists Denis Deady of Stirling University and Miriam Law Smith of St Andrews University questioned 1,220 women from Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia, The Scotsman reported Wednesday.

The psychologists said they found taller women were less broody, had fewer children and were more ambitious. They were also more likely to have their first child at a later age.

Deady and Smith told The Scotsman they decided to conduct the research after studies suggested taller women had fewer children because they struggled to find a mate. Deady and Smith say their research disproves that theory.

"We think that tall women may have higher levels of testosterone, which may cause them to have more 'masculine' personalities," said Deady, who also stressed that did not mean taller women were unattractive.

The research appears in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.

Copyright 2005 by United Press International