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Maternal waist-to-hip ratio does not predict child gender.
M J Tovée1, J E Brown, D Jacobs
1Department of Psychology, Ridley Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 26, 2001
Summary
A high pre-conceptual waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) does not predict the gender of subsequent children. Researchers found no significant correlation, suggesting other factors influence attractiveness preferences.
Area of Science:
- Human reproduction
- Anthropometry
- Evolutionary psychology
Background:
- A high pre-conceptual waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) has been proposed as a predictor of male offspring.
- This theory is based on studies of women with existing children, not pre-conception.
- Pregnancy may alter WHR differently based on offspring sex, confounding previous findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive value of pre-conceptual WHR on offspring gender.
- To test the hypothesis that a high WHR is associated with conceiving male children.
Main Methods:
- Collected pre-conceptual WHR measurements from 458 women planning pregnancy.
- Correlated these WHR measurements with the genders of their subsequently born children.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between pre-conceptual WHR and the gender of offspring.
- The hypothesis that high WHR predicts male offspring was not supported.
Conclusions:
- Pre-conceptual WHR is not a reliable predictor of offspring gender.
- Cultural preferences for body shape may be linked to body mass index (BMI) rather than WHR.
- Optimal BMI may vary between ethnic groups and environments, influencing attractiveness.