Speaking anecdotally I disagree somewhat. In this response I’m assuming these males are in the US (because that’s what I know), decent looking but not hot, they have good hygiene, dress well, workout etc. but they aren’t super gifted in the face department, just average or slightly above. Also, like you said, this applies to men in their mid 20’s to mid 30’s. I think this age range is important because most people will be out of school, brains fully developed, in the “real world” and looking for a life partner. I’m going to compare how much success/money you need at various heights to have equivalent sized dating pools.
That being established this is what I’ve observed, the shorter you are the success required to balance that out will go up exponentially. For example a 5’9” male making low 6 figures and with decent looks is going to have a large dating pool. But once you get into the “short” category (about 5’6”) to be as attractive as that 5’9” low six figure income male you have to make a lot more, more than double for sure. Status is probably a more accurate variable than money though even though the two almost always go hand in hand. So I’d say if the 5’9” male is a computer programmer with a bachelors degree, then to be equally attractive the 5’6” male has to something like a surgeon. Once you are in the “very short” category (5’3”ish) that becomes extremely difficult to overcome. At that point you are looking at being a B list celebrity or a CEO of a decent sized corporation. I also think once you are that short, the label will never leave you. I know it’s harsh but at that height the way people see you will always be mired by your height. Going below that into the barely or even below 5 foot range I don’t think is possible to overcome. Of course keep in mind that there will always be exceptions but I’m talking equivalent dating pools.
The flip side is being above average height (5’11” to 6’) allows you to work a lower status job like being a teacher or a family therapist to be equivalent to the shorter more successful heights. Going even taller to what most people would consider ideal, the standard “tall” height range (6’1”to 6’3”) I think the equivalent status would be trades, like being a real estate agent or a welder. I don’t think you get much benefit that I’m aware of for being taller than that, the very tall category (6’4” and up) seems to have diminishing returns and actually might not increase attractiveness.
Anyways those are my thoughts and would like to hear anyone elses. I’m not trying to doomer pull anyone, this is just what I’ve observed and could totally be proven wrong. To close out, here are some, mostly anecdotal/ case studies that have influenced my opinions.
Case study on what men women would chose based on height and jobs:
Sketchy data on how much money you need to make based on height:
https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPillScience/comments/ac29zz/dating_heightincome_trade_off_for_men_and_women/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmfAn actual good study showing that the minimum height women would date is 5’9 and ideally men are 8 inches taller than the woman:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886913000020