Revisiting the effect of height on wages in a historical context: the case of the city of Zaragoza (Spain), 1924

Several recent European studies conducted over the past 50 years have documented a positive connection between a person’s height and their salary. However, there are very few studies for earlier periods and for southern Europe. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between the height of conscripts born between 1888 and 1907 and their daily wages in 1924. Data for the Spanish city of Zaragoza was used. The results showed that for every additional 10 cm of height, an individual earned approximately 3% more. Furthermore, the shortest 25% of individuals suffered a considerable penalty in their income (about 15%). To understand the causes of this discrimination, we then analyzed the data by socioeconomic group. We found that people in low socioeco nomic groups essentially suffered wage discrimination. This finding could be linked to the fact that a tall stature conveys an image of strength and productivity. It should be noted that these results were found mainly for the urban areas, with their relatively large labor supply and weak blood ties rather than rural areas or among immigrants. In other words, the height penalty affected the weakest groups of society (low socioeconomic level and immigrants).