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Witn Tall

Researchers found that taller people earn higher wages, with an extra 10 centimeters of height correlating to 3% higher pay. They also found heavier men earn 5% more than slimmer men. The study suggests taller and heavier people are seen as more powerful and intelligent, even when that may not be true.

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Tibor Turiák
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106 views2 pages

Witn Tall

Researchers found that taller people earn higher wages, with an extra 10 centimeters of height correlating to 3% higher pay. They also found heavier men earn 5% more than slimmer men. The study suggests taller and heavier people are seen as more powerful and intelligent, even when that may not be true.

Uploaded by

Tibor Turiák
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BBC Learning English

Words in the News


18th May 2009
Tall people earn more

Researchers in Australia have found that tall people earn higher wages than their shorter
counterparts, an extra ten centimetres in height means 3% higher wages. They also found that
chubby people earn more than those who are skinnier. From Sydney here's Nick Bryant:

The long and short of this Australian report is that tall workers earn significantly more than
their vertically challenged counterparts. A six foot man can expect a windfall of almost
$750 a year.

The researchers found there were practical reasons why the size gap translated into a pay gap.
Tall people were sometimes more capable of performing certain physical tasks, like reaching
high shelves. But the discrepancy is explained mainly by discrimination, the simple fact that
society tends to look on tall people as more powerful and smarter, even when they're not.

The study from the Australian National University also found that slimmer workers tend to
get slimmer pay packets. Fat men earn 5% more than their slender colleagues.

Nick Bryant, BBC News, Sydney

Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009


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bbclearningenglish.com
Vocabulary and definitions

the long and short of a commonly used set expression said when you want to
explain the general situation without giving details

vertically challenged an indirect way of saying 'short'

counterparts your counterpart is someone who is generally similar to


you but different in a particular way (e.g. they come from a
different country, or, as here, they are shorter than you)

windfall here, money that you win or receive unexpectedly

translated into here, meant, caused, resulted in

discrepancy a distinct difference between two things that should be the


same

discrimination unfair treatment of someone because of prejudice about


race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender or, as here, size

tend to get slimmer pay usually earn less money


packets

slender slim, thin

More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/2004_14_thu_02.shtml

Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/05/090518_witn_tall.shtml

Words in the news © British Broadcasting Corporation 2009


Page 2 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com

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