Alex Trelinski
THE Supreme Court has ordered the Policia Nacional to stop discriminating against ‘shorter’ woman wanting to join it.
A prospective female candidate filed a complaint to the court after she was rejected in 2017 for being six centimetres too short.
The woman’s legal team argued that the rules favoured men because just 3% of Spain’s male population do not meet the height requirement, compared to around 25% of Spanish women.
Current Policia Nacional rules say women must meet a minimum height requirement of 1.60 metres, while men must be at least 1.65 metres tall.
The Supreme Court has ruled that height requirements must take into account the average height for each sex.
The average height of Spanish men and women — aged between 20 and 49 — is 1.74 metres and 1.63 metres respectively.
Judges added that the Policia Nacional had not justified its height requirements for candidates.
“Within the police structure, there are many functions that require no special physical condition and even less a tall stature,” the court said.
The Policia Nacional has been ordered to employ the female candidate — provided she passes her exams — and to pay her the same as other women who joined in 2017.
Women account for just 14.8% of the Policia Nacional’s force.
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