Abstract
There is a substantial social gap in stature in Sweden in historical birth cohorts. In this paper we show evidence of the persistence of this social gap in stature over time, including for women, and explore its determinants. The socioeconomic background of the family affects the stature of boys up until 2007 (birth cohort 1989) when the conscription army was abandoned. Over time, young men’s stature becomes more similar to that of their fathers, but no such development is observed between brothers. The sons of the highest-class men are outgrowing their fathers less than sons of men from the lower social classes so that the gap in stature between boys could be closing. Parental stature explains most of the gap in stature between boys at 18, as does length at birth, indicating that differences in final stature start very early in life. Finally, we investigate the contribution of reverse causality: the selection of taller men into higher occupations.
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GENPOP has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No 865356). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Organisation
Nicola Barban