Most Women Are Wearing Shoes That Don't Fit, New RMIT Research Finds

A brand-new study from RMIT University, one of Australia's largest and most prestigious, has found that most women are wearing shoes that do not fit. The research was done across the Tasman, but the numbers turn up in study after study worldwide. Here is what it found, in plain terms, and what each finding means the next time you buy shoes.

We hate to say we told you so, but there is a piece of new research out of RMIT University in Melbourne worth knowing about. Published this year in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, it measured the feet of 107 women and set them against the shoes those women actually buy. Most, 72 per cent, were wearing a size that did not match their feet. More than two in three had a recurring problem with the way their shoes fit. Few had ever been told that the number on the box was only ever telling them half the story.

"Women aren't bad at buying shoes," said the study's lead researcher, Associate Professor Saniyat Islam. "The sizing system is bad at describing their feet." It is not your fault, and we are here to help.

The study looked at Australian women, but do not assume New Zealand feet are any different. This is not a one-off result. A wide review of the international research has found the same pattern across populations, that a large share of people are walking around in shoes that do not fit, and it turns up in survey after survey from the UK to the US. New Zealand is no exception.

Here is what the researchers found, simplified into four findings, and what each one means for your own feet the next time you shop.

Ben Parnham

Senior Copywriter, The Comfort Co

Host of The Comfort Walk & Talk Podcast, and has interviewed podiatrists, physios and foot health experts about what comfort actually means underfoot.

Finding 1: most women are wearing the wrong size

When the researchers lined up each woman's measured feet against the size she buys, the mismatch was the rule, not the exception.

We do not know exactly what has caused this, but we've got some ideas. A UK survey of 2,000 adults by DB Wider Fit Shoes found 59 per cent say they already know their shoe size and simply buy the same one each time, and 43 per cent have not had their feet measured since their teenage years. Set that against the feet the researchers actually measured, and most of that confidence looks misplaced. The mismatch could come from any number of things, but one thing is clear: it is doing damage.

Finding 2: the real problem is width, not length

How it got this out of hand is a bit of a mystery. The Brannock Device, the metal sizer that shoe fitters use to read both length and width, was invented back in 1925 and has been a staple of the industry ever since. Yet for some reason, width has quietly been forgotten. So thoroughly that a UK survey by the College of Podiatry found 62 per cent of adults do not even know shoes come in different widths.

Perhaps the fault sits with the shoe companies. The number on the box only accounts for length, and most shoes are only sold in one width. Add the fact that lasts (the moulds shoes are made from) vary from company to company (and even style to style), which means your size can shift around too.

All of it makes fit genuinely hard to get right, which is almost certainly why so many get it wrong. The study made the gap concrete: women who shared an identical foot length varied by as much as four centimetres in width. One number was never going to hold that difference.

Finding 3: sizing up to get room backfires

Faced with a shoe that pinches across the foot, most women do the intuitive thing and reach for a bigger size. The research found it was the most common workaround, and it is a poor trade. Going longer to gain width lets the heel slip and the foot slide forward, so the pressure does not disappear, it only moves somewhere new. It might not hurt now, but it will definitely hurt later.

Finding 4: sizing was built around a narrow range of feet

There is a deeper reason the numbers do not fit, and it is bigger than any single foot. "Footwear sizing still largely reflects a narrow range of Western foot shapes," said the study's co-author, Associate Professor Carol Tan, "despite Australia having one of the world's most diverse populations." The researchers argue the answer is not a cleverer number but more widths, somewhere closer to six or seven, so that a size can finally stand for a shape rather than a length alone.

What the wrong fit can cost over time

Day to day, a shoe that does not fit shows up as rubbing, hot spots and blisters (and as the pair that quietly stops getting worn). Over a longer stretch it can matter more than comfort. A wide review of the research has linked habitually ill-fitting footwear, and too-narrow shoes in particular, with foot pain and with common problems like corns, calluses and changes to the toes such as bunions and lesser toe deformities. Footwear is rarely the only cause, genetics and the way you are built play a large part, but the fit of what you wear all day is one of the few parts you can actually change.

How to know your width, with or without a scanner

The fast way: get measured properly

The quickest and most precise read is a proper fitting that captures your width, not just your length. An Aetrex foot scan maps your length, width, arch type and pressure points in under a minute, then turns that reading into the fittings and styles that suit the foot it has just seen. You can also come and be fitted in person at one of our New Zealand showrooms, where you can try Revere and the rest of the range for width, not just size.

It is free, and there is no pressure to buy on the day. Come away knowing your width instead of guessing it, and the styles that actually suit your feet.

No scanner nearby? You still have options

Even if you are sure you wear a size 8, ask to be measured every time you buy in person. Any shoe shop should have a Brannock Device at minimum, the metal slider that measures the length and width of your foot. Feet change over the years, so the number you have always bought may no longer be yours. Asking also makes it clear to the salesperson that you are taking fit seriously.

If you are buying online, you can get close at home with paper, a pen and a ruler. Stand on a sheet with your weight on the foot and trace around it, keeping the pen upright. Do both feet, measure late in the day, and take length from heel to longest toe and width across the ball of the foot. Then check those numbers against the brand's own size and width guide, because sizing shifts between brands and even between styles.

A couple of quick tells that a shoe is too narrow: your foot sits on the edge of the sole rather than on top of it, or the only way to get width is to size up in length. Leave about a thumb's width, 10 to 20 millimetres, at the toe, and go by your larger foot.

Questions women ask us about fit

How do I find my real shoe size and width?

Measure your feet rather than trusting the last number you bought. Length you can do at home with paper and a ruler. Width is harder to judge by eye, so the most reliable reads are in person: a Brannock Device, the metal sizer that measures length and width in seconds, or a foot scan that adds arch type in about a minute. Measure late in the day, when your feet are at their largest, and go by the bigger foot.

What is an Aetrex foot scan, and does it cost anything?

The Aetrex foot scan uses a 3D scanner you stand on for under a minute. It reads your length, width, arch type and pressure points, then matches that to fittings and styles. It is free to use where it is available, plus you get to take your results with you for in-depth information when you need it next.

My shoes fit in length but still feel tight. What is going on?

That is almost always width. A size number describes how long your foot is and says nothing about how wide it is, so a shoe can be right end to end and still squeeze across the ball of the foot. The answer is a wider fitting in the same length, not a longer shoe.

Can badly fitting shoes actually harm my feet?

They can contribute to problems, though they are rarely the whole story. A review of the research has linked footwear that is too tight or too narrow, worn day after day, with foot pain and with common issues like corns, calluses and bunions, alongside factors like genetics and the way your foot is built. The sensible reading is not to panic, it is that fit is one of the few things you control, so it is worth getting right.

Should I just buy a size up if my shoes feel narrow?

It is the workaround the study found most women fall back on, and it trades one problem for another. Going up in length to gain width leaves the heel loose and lets the foot slide forward, which brings its own rubbing and pressure. Choosing a wider fitting keeps the length right and fixes the part that was actually too tight.

Which shoes come in wide fittings?

Plenty do once you look for them. Revere builds removable footbeds and adjustable straps into every style and offers both medium and wide across much of the range, and you can browse the whole range by fitting. The habit worth keeping is to check the width options before you fall for the look.