Sex Differences in the Magnitude of Statural Gains of Offspring Over Parents

Document Type

Article

Authors

Tadeusz Bielicki, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
Janusz Charzewski, Academy of Physical Education, Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

Differences in adult stature between offspring and same-sexed parent were analyzed in 496 Polish families having a total of 478 daughters and 542 sons. All parent-offspring comparisons were divided into two categories: “advancing” lineages, in which an upward shift in educational status has occured between the grandparents and parents, and “stable” lineages, in which no such shift has taken place. The average statural gain of son over father was 2.21% in “stable” lineages, and 2.88% in “advancing” lineages; in contrast, daughter-mother comparisons yield mean percentual gains of 1.14 and 1.37, respectively. These findings are interpreted as a direct verification of the hypothesis that, with regard to growth in size, boys tend to respond to environmental improvement more dramatically than do girls; and, in broader terms, as further evidence for the higher eco-sensitivity of developmental processes in the male.

Recommended Citation

Bielicki, Tadeusz and Charzewski, Janusz (1977) "Sex Differences in the Magnitude of Statural Gains of Offspring Over Parents," Human Biology: Vol. 49: Iss. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol49/iss3/3