Most women wear shoes that don't match their feet, study finds
Edited by Sadie Harley,
reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Most women in a new RMIT University study wore shoe sizes that differed from the size indicated by their foot length, highlighting the limitations of conventional sizing systems in accounting for differences in foot width and shape. The study of 107 women found 72% wore a different size under U.S. sizing and 65% under EU sizing.
More participants wore a larger size than their foot length
indicated—59% under U.S. sizing and 52% under EU sizing. The researchers say
this tendency to size up suggests some women may be compensating for shoes that
do not adequately accommodate their foot width, rather than simply choosing the
wrong size.
Supporting this explanation, women assigned the same shoe
size based on foot length varied by up to 40 mm (1.6 inches) around the widest
part of the foot under U.S. sizing and 37 mm (1.5 inches) under EU sizing.
The study, published in the International Journal of
Fashion Design, Technology and Education, also found 68% of participants
had at least one recurring problem with shoe fit.
Co-author associate professor Saniyat Islam, from RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles, said the findings exposed the limitations of footwear sizing systems that relied heavily on length.
"Australian women aren't bad at buying shoes—the sizing
system is bad at describing their feet," Islam said.
"Women are often forced to choose between the right
length and the right width because a single shoe size does not capture the
shape of their feet.
"They may be choosing a larger shoe because it is often
the only way to achieve a comfortable fit."
Most shoes are sold in only one width, despite the study
finding enough variation among women with the same foot length to require about
six or seven width options to accommodate them.
Islam said expanding the availability of width fittings
would do more to improve fit than relying on length-based sizing and half-sizes
alone.
"Offering more width options would give consumers a
better chance of finding shoes that fit both the length and width of their
feet," he said.
The findings also point to the importance of considering
Australia's multiethnic population when designing footwear.
Of the 25 participants who said shoes were often too narrow,
60% were from Northeast Asian, Southeast Asian or South Asian backgrounds. The
study was not designed to establish differences between individual ethnic
groups, and the researchers said further research with a larger sample would be
needed.
Co-author associate professor Carol Tan from RMIT said the
findings underscored the need to investigate whether current footwear sizing
systems adequately reflected the diversity of foot shapes in Australia.
"Footwear sizing still largely reflects a narrow range
of Western foot shapes, despite Australia having one of the world's most
diverse populations," Tan said.
"If we're serious about designing products that work
for the people who use them, we need to recognize that foot length is only part
of the story."
The researchers also recommended clearer sizing information
to help consumers navigate inconsistent sizing across brands and the U.S., U.K.
and EU systems.
More than half of the participants did not know their U.K.
shoe size, highlighting the confusion consumers can face when comparing
international sizing systems.
More information
Barbara Pallaspuro et al, One size fits small: exploring the
shoe size preferences of Australian women and their implications for shoe
design, International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and
Education (2026). DOI:
10.1080/17543266.2026.2709095
