Japanese
society is known for its politeness, but when it comes to matchmaking, single
women can be surprisingly upfront about their physical preferences. Just as
many men express interest in the attributes of their waifus, a
large number of women in Japan are not shy about declaring that height is a
determining factor when choosing a life partner.
To
investigate how important this trait is, matchmaking service Presia conducted
a survey of 278 women between the ages of 20 and 49. The results revealed that,
although 66.9% of the participants would consider marrying a man of short
stature, the standards for what they consider "acceptable" or
"ideal" are very well defined for those who aspire to form a home and
share intimate moments.
Minimum
height standards
What a person considers "short" can be subjective, so the study asked for concrete figures on the minimum height a man must be to be considered marriage material. The majority of those surveyed, 38.8%, placed this limit between 165 and 169 centimeters. On the other hand, 22.3% require a minimum of between 170 and 174 centimeters, while only a small 4.3% would accept someone below 160 centimeters.
However,
expectations go up considerably when it comes to ideal height. 44.6% of women
prefer their husband to be between 175 and 179 centimeters tall,
which is above the national average for men in Japan, which is usually around
171-175 centimeters. In summary, although it is not an exclusive requirement
for all, more than half of the participants would like someone taller than
average so that they can do their thing as the protector of
the home.
Qualities
that compensate for the lack of height
Since
height is usually more of a preference than a mandatory requirement for most,
the study explored what other characteristics can make a man attractive despite
not being tall. The results make it clear that economic stability is the main
"substitute" for height; 21.6% of women mentioned that wealth is the
number one quality to compensate for the lack of centimeters. Apparently, a
good bill helps to improve the perception of any suitor.
Other
qualities that help shorter men stand out include sharing financial values
(16.2%), loyalty (15.5%) and maintaining impeccable personal hygiene (12.6%).
Interestingly, traits such as having a muscular body or cooking skills were
hardly taken into account. This suggests that, in order to succeed in the
Japanese marriage market, it is more effective to focus on professional success
and emotional stability than on superficial physical charms.
Do you think
height should be such a relevant factor when deciding who to spend the rest of
your life with?
