Challenges Faced by Extremely Short Individuals: Discrimination and Hardships

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the challenges faced by extremely short individuals, particularly men 5'2" and shorter and women 4'10" and shorter, regarding discrimination and hardships in various aspects of life, including work and social interactions. Participants explore the implications of short stature on personal experiences, societal perceptions, and potential discrimination.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that short stature can significantly affect life experiences, particularly in dating and career advancement.
  • Others argue that short individuals can succeed regardless of their height, citing examples of respected short leaders in corporate settings.
  • There is a discussion about whether public transportation is user-friendly for short individuals, with varying opinions on its relevance.
  • Some participants differentiate between being short within the normal spectrum and having dwarfism, noting that the latter may face more severe challenges.
  • Concerns are raised about societal expectations regarding height, particularly in dating preferences, with some participants asserting that women prefer taller men.
  • Counterarguments highlight that not all women have height preferences and that attitude and confidence can mitigate the impact of being short.
  • Participants express differing views on whether short individuals need to adopt aggressive behaviors to succeed, with some rejecting this notion as counterproductive.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion reveals multiple competing views regarding the impact of short stature on life experiences. While some participants believe that being short leads to significant hardships, others contend that it does not inherently affect success or social interactions. There is no consensus on the extent of discrimination faced by short individuals.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying assumptions about the definitions of "short" and "extremely short," which may influence their perspectives. Additionally, there are unresolved nuances regarding the societal implications of height and individual experiences.

stickythighs
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If a full grown man in America is only five feet one inch tall, how much do you think his extremely short stature will affect his life? In what ways will being five feet one inch tall affect his life?

Do you think that extremely short stature constitutes a significant hardship for men 5'2" and shorter and women 4'10" and shorter?

Do you think that extremely short people are often significantly discriminated against?
 
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My boss is only 5 feet tall, makes absolutely no difference. His boss, our regional director was somewhere between 4' 8" and 4" 10" probably", she is widely respected. We work for a multi-billion dollar corporation.

So, no, I don't think simply being short is an issue.
 
stickythighs said:
If a full grown man in America is only five feet one inch tall, how much do you think his extremely short stature will affect his life? In what ways will being five feet one inch tall affect his life?
Depends on how much the short person let's it affect his or her life. Seek out people who do not care.

Do you think that extremely short stature constitutes a significant hardship for men 5'2" and shorter and women 4'10" and shorter?
Not that I've noticed.

Do you think that extremely short people are often significantly discriminated against?
Public transportation is not necessarily user-friendly for short folks.
 
Astronuc,

How is public transportation not necessarily user-friendly for extremely short people?
 
stickythighs said:
How is public transportation not necessarily user-friendly for extremely short people?
Holding the rails on the bus...?
 
g33kski11z said:
Holding the rails on the bus...?

Are you sure that this is even worth mentioning?
 
Sure, if you are extremely short, it "could" be an issue...
 
stickythighs said:
If a full grown man in America is only five feet one inch tall, how much do you think his extremely short stature will affect his life? In what ways will being five feet one inch tall affect his life?

Do you think that extremely short stature constitutes a significant hardship for men 5'2" and shorter and women 4'10" and shorter?

Do you think that extremely short people are often significantly discriminated against?

Do you mean short as in within the lower end of the normal spectrum, or do you mean extremely short as in dwarfism (5'1" is not dwarfism, but still within the normal spectrum). People with dwarfism do experience discrimination, and do struggle with a lot of things due to their size and lack of available options for aiding in accessibility (if you've ever had a hard time reaching the drive-up ATM from your car window due to the height of the machine being set too high for a normal car, imagine if you are trying to reach when you're only 3 1/2' tall, and even getting out of the car doesn't make it any more reachable for you).

But, as with any hardships in life, how you deal with it and how much you let it bother you...or not...is what matters for how successful you can be despite such descrimination.

If you're just talking about the short end of the normal spectrum, then I don't think it matters much at all. Okay, so you're not going to be a pro basketball player, but if that same person added a few more inches to their height, they probably STILL wouldn't be a pro basketball player, so no big deal.
 
Evo said:
My boss is only 5 feet tall, makes absolutely no difference. His boss, our regional director was somewhere between 4' 8" and 4" 10" probably", she is widely respected. We work for a multi-billion dollar corporation.

So, no, I don't think simply being short is an issue.

Non sequitur. How does your boss's being five feet tall prove that simply being short is not an issue?
 
  • #10
Moonbear said:
If you're just talking about the short end of the normal spectrum, then I don't think it matters much at all. Okay, so you're not going to be a pro basketball player, but if that same person added a few more inches to their height, they probably STILL wouldn't be a pro basketball player, so no big deal.

Oh, how you've wounded poor Muggsy Bogues, forgetting him like that.:cry:
 
  • #11
stickythighs said:
If a full grown man in America is only five feet one inch tall, how much do you think his extremely short stature will affect his life? In what ways will being five feet one inch tall affect his life?

Do you think that extremely short stature constitutes a significant hardship for men 5'2" and shorter and women 4'10" and shorter?

Do you think that extremely short people are often significantly discriminated against?


It does affect your life. I am a guy and am pretty short--5'6". People who are short tend to be promoted less at work and also date a lot less. Women always seem to want a guy who is at least 5'10" or taller, preferably 6'+.

Short stature doesn't affect women as much as it does a man.


Shortness will only affect your life if you let it, but to get ahead a shorter guy has to be a bigger jerk so he won't get pushed around. But then a lot of times that backfires because then the short guy is always labeled as having an "angry short guy complex".


I laugh at it though. I love how everyone thinks I am weak just because I am short. When I play softball the opposing team's outfield always comes in closer because they think that I have no power since I'm short. I have gotten so many triples and HRs because I am able to hit it over their heads.
 
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  • #12
gravenewworld said:
It does affect your life. I am a guy and am pretty short--5'6". People who are short tend to be promoted less at work and also date a lot less. Women always seem to want a guy who is at least 5'10" or taller, preferably 6'+.
I haven't really noticed this to be true at all. On your point of promotions, I'm thinking about both my current department chair and the one for the department I'm considering a move into...both are on the short side for men. It sure hasn't affected their ability to be promoted. Our interim dean is a rather short guy too. (Several of the senior faculty I teach with are also short, and we joke about it that we're "short" staffed in the course we teach together :biggrin:). Of course, if you sit around moping because you're short instead of getting things done, you're not going to get promoted, but it has nothing to do with height.

It's also a rather broad generalization to think women all want men 5'10" and taller. Plenty of women are much shorter than that and are not particularly attracted to guys who tower over them (I'm sure not...my current boyfriend is about 5'4" or 5'5", and that is absolutely perfect for me...by the way, his height isn't hindering his promotion or earning power either).

Short stature doesn't affect women as much as it does a man.
I actually think it's about the same, but attitude can get people to overlook your height. It wasn't until I stood next to another faculty member who is also short that someone noticed we were close to the same height and that meant I was short too. Even though we were about the same height, nobody perceived me as short, but they did perceive her as short (they call her the "pixie" of the department). The funny thing is that most of the time, she wears heels, so even looks taller than me (I mostly wear flats), yet they noticed she was short but not me. It comes down to attitude, and sometimes posture.

Shortness will only affect your life if you let it, but to get ahead a shorter guy has to be a bigger jerk so he won't get pushed around. But then a lot of times that backfires because then the short guy is always labeled as having an "angry short guy complex".
Oh, good grief, I don't know who gave you that advice, but it's WAY off the mark! Being a bigger jerk just makes you a bigger jerk. If you're a jerk, then you won't get promoted because of that. If you try to "compensate" for height, people will pick up on the attitude problems and view you negatively. Just act like anyone else...be confident, work hard, work smart, and you'll earn respect the way everyone else does. Learn to be assertive without being aggressive (this is something women used to have to deal with too...for some reason, it used to be that women were given bad advice about needing to prove themselves in a way that made them come across as b****es rather than a strong leader...once taught better how to be assertive without being a b****, advancements and promotions come along a lot faster).

I laugh at it though. I love how everyone thinks I am weak just because I am short. When I play softball the opposing team's outfield always comes in closer because they think that I have no power since I'm short. I have gotten so many triples and HRs because I am able to hit it over their heads.
Most of the short guys I know are NOT weak at all. Odd they'd assume that, unless you're also very slender (and then it's not the height, but the slender build that leads people to assume you're weak...I know some wiry guys who are over 6' tall who run into the same problem of people assuming they're weak because of their build).
 
  • #13
I'm a 27 year old American ( I think there are differences between countries on these issues. ) man, and I'm only 5'1". I was curious about what other people thought of such a situation.
 
  • #14
This is what I think.

 
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