Short women can be cops too, Spain's top court rules

A female officer of the police stands guard at La Palma Canary Island, Spain.

In a ruling in a case brought by a young lady who was denied the right to take her selection tests in 2017, the court rescinded the requirement for a height of 1.60 metres (5 ft 3 inches).

According to a court document, the requirement "contains an indirect discrimination against females compared with men whose required height (1.65m) is less demanding. This is because the percentage (in Spain), below the threshold (25%) was much higher than that of men (3 %),").

The court granted the plaintiff permission to pass her exams and ordered that the police employ the woman with the same pay seniority for 2017 as 2017 women.

According to an Imperial College world survey, 19-year-old Spanish males were 1.76m tall in 2019, and women of the same age averaged 1.62m. Out of 200 countries and territories in the world, Spanish men were ranked at 58th while women were at 77th.

The court ruled that the national police did not have any reason to limit access to job seekers based upon their height.

The court stated that the selection process for police officers involves physical and medical tests to ensure candidates are healthy enough to perform the job.

The court stated that "in the police system, there are many functions which require no special physical condition or even a tall stature".