THE hazards of childbirth rather than unequal food distribution dictate how
much smaller women are than men, says a team of scientists.
In all human populations, men tend to be taller, but the difference varies
between different parts of the world. The height gap is most pronounced in
European countries, while in Africa women and men are closer in height than
anywhere else.
Some researchers suggest that the most pronounced differences occur in
well-nourished populations because males are more vulnerable to nutritional
deficiencies than females during early development—which might stunt the
growth of men in poor countries.
Others have…
