Success is many things so when we gauge how a person is successful in life, it comes with various reasons. First born girls, the eldest daughters are statistically more successful than that of their siblings. Much research has uncovered the dynamic talents of eldest daughters. Their success supersedes first born sons and their younger siblings. It makes sense due to the conditioning children have from their childhood. These are the ten main reasons science has brought forth on why eldest daughters succeed. Scientific American backs up these claims and have said that eldest daughters are more likely to succeed by a long shot.
1 Ambition Is the Key
The first born is more ambitious than their siblings. This is the number one reason behind why the eldest daughter is so successful. A study from the University of Essex states that the oldest son is thirteen per cent less ambitious compared to the oldest daughter. If we examine the accomplished sons and the importance they’ve played in history, you can only imagine how powerful the eldest daughter has the potential to be. Powerful women that are eldest daughters include Hillary Clinton and Oprah Winfrey.
2 Eldest Daughters are Highly Intelligent
Reports backed by science have stated that eldest daughters have higher IQs and achieve more in a business setting than their siblings. Developmental psychologists hold the percentages from the studies that the eldest female is in fact more successful. They throw around a myriad of reasons behind it but the evidence is clear. There is no coincidence that a high percentage of the world’s accomplished females are the eldest.
3 Confluence Theory
This theory is going back to the 1970’s and states that the home dynamic has a great deal to do with the success of the oldest child. Culture at home often entails parents treating the eldest daughter like a real person which allows maturity to grow naturally. When more children enter the family, the intellectual level declines. As siblings treat the youngest like a baby along with the parent, the younger child enters a “diluted” intellectual culture. Less time is spent on truly “seeing” the younger children as the small human they saw with their eldest child.
4 Women of Power
When scientific studies were drawn out about the success of the eldest daughters, they considered the most powerful women of the world. Eldest daughters that were in the Forbes most powerful women include; Christine Lagarde, Sheryl Sandberg, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé and Angela Merkel. To achieve what these women have, it takes more than just intelligence and education. There is an ambitious these women have that is extraordinary as they overcame large obstacles.
5 Equity Heuristic
This scientific framework breaks down the investment of time parents put in each of their children. An eldest daughter is going to have her parents undivided attention during the most essential developmental stage of their life. When parent begin to have more children, the attention begins to be split up. The children that follow the eldest never receive the initial attention the first born did. Parents unintentionally invest more time, energy and attention to the first child. The comparison between the second siblings sex made no difference on a study that followed over 1,000 families. The success of the eldest daughter or son was different however.
6 Proof in Percentages
The oldest siblings in general are sixteen percent more likely to attend post-secondary and the eldest females are more qualified by a four percent margin. Over half of the noteworthy men in the world were firstborn, these men were US presidents and Nobel prizewinners. While men took these honors, it may be due to these positions being generally more available to men. Times are changing and further proof may come to light as women have the opportunity to take on similar roles. Eldest daughters typically have more ambition and accomplish more on average. Not only do they have the intelligence but along with it a drive to obtain success.
7 Renowned Female Scientists
Jane Goodall, Dr. Susan Greenfield and Jocelyn Bell were all eldest daughters and all share the title of being successful scientists in their field. They of course displayed intelligence and dedication to their discipline and received honors of being the best in their fields. The ambition is what is most notable, going beyond the norm of what a scientist is willing to do.
8 Pressure of Being the Example
Plenty of research has shown that when a sibling has the opportunity to teach their other sibling something, they grow to understand it more. The eldest daughter may have one or two siblings, in which case they grow more intelligent while they talk out what they have learned. While the eldest has the ability to learn in this way, the youngest sibling has nobody to teach and so they don’t have this development available to them.
9 Divorce Theory
Another advantage to being the eldest daughter is that statistically, they will be mostly grown up in the case of a divorce. The formative years were normal with a mother/father figure, allowing security to set in. When a divorce occurs, the younger siblings are going to be younger and it’s more difficult on them. Studies show that the developmental process can be crippled when parents separate.
10 Choice of the Box
As each child seeks out attention from their parents, they must find different ways to compete. Darwin did a study about carving out niches with his finches to prove the accuracy of this. One child is the actor while another is an exemplary student. The eldest daughter, being the first born gets to choose what niche she fits in and will choose based on her personality. The other siblings have to take the leftovers which may not be true to who they are. This can stunt the growth and create uncertainty which carries into their adult life.
