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How much taller should a guy be than a girl?

How much taller should a guy be than a girl?

How much taller should a man be than a woman? That’s the question we’ll be debating and answering today.

While there’s no precise height difference that should exist between a guy and a girl, we can safely see that most couples have a sizable height difference between the partners.

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How much taller should a guy be than a girl?

A young happy couple posing for the camera

So, how much taller should a guy be than a girl? It depends on the culture, for one. For example, some cultures prefer a larger height gap to make the man look taller, whereas others view a smaller height difference as ideal.

These cultural differences aside, most researchers agree that females have an in-built preference for taller men, whereas men typically prefer women who are a bit shorter than themselves.

This may simply be due to the reality of nature, by which I mean that, on average, men are usually taller than women by 4-6 inches. So you could say that this is a good range for the “ideal height difference” if such a thing actually exists.

Generally, I’d say that girls want the guy to be taller than them, but at the same time, they don’t want to look absolutely tiny compared to their other half. 

See Also: Dating a guy the same height as you

Why is a height difference so important?

A young happy couple looking into each other's eyes

Since men are taller than women by nature, it’s likely that most women prefer men who are significantly taller than them so that they can fit in well within society.

Or, to say it another way, some tall women are self-conscious about towering over the men they encounter.

Obviously, the taller the woman is, the less of a height difference with her partner she’s likely to have. This is because there are simply fewer potential mates, so to speak, who are taller than her.

By the same token, a short girl is very likely to end up with a guy who’s way taller than her because men are already around 5 inches taller than women on average.

So if she’s much shorter than usual, then her partner might tower over her.

Many women also like a significant height difference because it makes them feel protected and capable of depending on their partner when times get tough. 

A taller partner may also be seen as more capable of providing more resources and healthier offspring.

Related: The girl I like is taller than me; what can I do?

How much shorter should a girl be than a guy: The verdict

A man and a woman looking romantic

We all have our own opinions about what constitutes the optimal height difference between a girl and a guy. Some of us prefer a large height gap, whereas others like a more subtle height difference.

That said, I think most people would agree that it’s preferable (but by no means absolutely necessary) for the woman to be a couple of inches shorter than the man.

This is because many women like looking petite and, if not exactly petite, at least smaller than their other half.

In a similar way, many men would be very self-conscious if they were significantly shorter than their partner, so they usually seek out women who are smaller than them.