Hmmm. I’m not sure if I’ve ever run into this phenomenon. I’m under 5’ 6” and it would be easier for me to count the few relationships I’ve had with women smaller than me than to count those who have been taller. The vast majority have been taller. So clearly they didn’t have a problem with my height.
Having said that, it is true that taller men are perceived as being leaders and more powerful, if I remember the research properly. Most of our politicians are tall men. Tall men make more money. In general, they have more prestige. And, in a culture that still has some very strong feelings about proper gender roles, as displayed above, tall men feel safer to many women. They enjoy the protection and power and status of taller men.
I think it is something that is instinctual; bred into us. It’s not necessarily something that can be explained because it runs deeper than any cognitive understanding. It’s an emotional preference. The sociological and scientific explanations are all well and good, but they aren’t what women think about when they make these choices. It comes from the gut… or perhaps even lower.
It is kind of interesting, though. A lot of women will tell you they like a guy who is smart and funny. It doesn’t matter how he looks. I’m sure this is true with individuals, but I’ll bet that there are studies out there showing that women prefer taller, more good looking men. However, that may be confounded because good looks are strongly correlated with intelligence, and perhaps even height shares that correlation. In other words, height, looks and intelligence tend to come in the same package.
The world is hardly fair, but it does seem that height confers an evolutionary advantage.