Design suffers from an ongoing Height Hegemony. According to the statistics provided by the Center for Disease Control website (www.cdc.gov), the average male height in the US is approximately 5’9.” The average female height is approximately 5’4.” This difference is apparently not something designers often take into account.
Ever notice how most furniture leaves women struggling to find a decent way to sit? In order for their feet to touch the floor, they have to compromise the circulation in their legs, because the edge of the chair hits right across the femoral artery. For most men, when their feet are flat on the floor, their legs are at a comfortable angle, not hitting the edge of the chair at all.
Another example is the positioning of paper towel dispensers in restrooms. More often than not, they are installed so high on the wall that most women must reach up for the towel, only to have their wet hands drip water down their forearms.
Small things, but they add up. Let’s stop adding. . .let’s diversify design. Let’s have furniture of all heights; spaces of all sizes; universal access.