The relationship between physical work and the height premium: Finnish evidence

Petri Böckerman, Edvard Johansson, Urpo Kiiskinen, Markku Heliövaara

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper examines the role of physical strength in the determination of the height wage premium by using the "Health 2000 in Finland" data that contain both self-reported information on the physical strenuousness of work, and information on muscle mass from medical examinations. The results suggest that there are generally no distinct differences in the height premium between four different work strain categories. We also find that muscle mass is positively associated with wages per se. The premium is both statistically and economically more significant for men than for women. In terms of occupational sorting, we observe that the shortest men do physically very demanding work and the tallest do sedentary work, even after controlling for the influences of age and education.
Original languageEnglish
Peer-reviewed scientific journalEconomics & Human Biology
Volume8
Issue number3
Pages (from-to)414-420
Number of pages7
ISSN1570-677X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12.2010
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article - refereed

Keywords

  • 511 Economics
  • Height
  • Height premium
  • Body composition
  • Wages
  • Finland

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