Eldest Girl More Likely to be Ambitious Compared to Other Siblings

A study claims that eldest girls have the edge as they are likely to be more ambitious compared to their younger brothers and sisters.

The study led by researchers at the University of Essex, Social and Economic Research (ISER),  claim  that oldest children are the most ambitious especially girls. The chances of achieving higher qualifications increase with the gap between siblings. This study analyzed the impact of sibling structure on the aspirations of the children.

This finding adds further evidence to the recent study mainly in Norway, Denmark and Netherlands that claimed the first born are more likely to achieve higher levels of qualification, but this new study claims that statistically they are more likely to be more ambitious.

The conclusion is based on the study that followed 1503 sibling groups and 3532 individuals who were a part of the British Household Panel Study and UK panel study, Understanding Society.

The research found, "that the firstborn superiority which means firstborns are more likely to achieve better educational outcomes, could be down to a pronounced higher level of ambition which pushes them forward."

After considering the educational levels of parents and their professional status, the researchers observed that the first born children were 7 percent more likely to aspire to continue their education when compared to the other siblings. Especially the eldest girl was 13 percent more ambitious than the boys.

Compared to the later-born siblings, the probability of the eldest girl attending further education was 16 percent higher.

Apart from this the researchers also focused on the gender mix among siblings and also size of the families.  Those having twins and single child were not a part of the study.

The researchers observed that gender mix and size of the families did not affect the children's ambition or achievement.  But a wider gap between brothers and sister did influence the educational achievement.

Study researcher Feifei Bu said, "Educational disparities exist not only between families but also within families. It is interesting that we observe a distinct firstborn advantage in education even though parents in modern society are more likely to be egalitarian in treating their children."