Birth Order

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Later born individuals have less academic success in highschool and university in comparison to first-born individuals(REFERENCE). REFERENCE received information from the Christchurch Health and Development Study(CHDS) in New Zealand. The CHDS is a longtiduinal study in which 1,265 children particapted and the CHDS tested the cognitive abilities of children(at age eight) and a test of scholastic abilities were given( at age 13). In addition further tests were given to the individuals in their early adult years and the results revealed that firstborn tend to have increased academic achievement, but also more success in terms of their careers(get paid more).

The present research uses data gathered over the course of a twenty-five-year longitudinal study to examine the linkages between birth order and subsequent educational achievement over the life course.The aims of this study were: 1 To examine linkages between birth order and educational achievement over the period from sixteen to twenty-five years. 2 To control linkages between birth order and educational outcomes for a series of confounding factors.These factors included family size, maternal age, maternal education, single parenthood, family socio-economic status, average family income, family standard of living, breast feeding, birth weight, child IQ and child achievement test scores. More generally the aims of the study were to use extensive longitudinal data to further explore the linkages between birth order and educational outcomes.

The data for this investigation were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS). The CHDS is a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 children born in the Christchurch (New Zealand

Family size At the point of the survey child’s birth, parents were questioned as to the number of live births of children into the family prior to the birth of the survey child, and the ages of these children. In addition, at each year from age one to sixteen years detailed information was obtained via parental interview on current family structure, including the number and ages of all children in the family. For the purposes of the present analysis a measure of family size was based on the maximum number of children ever resident in the household at any time during the participant’s childhood up to age sixteen years.

First, there were pervasive associations between birth order and a range of educational outcomes spanning high school and university achievement. For all outcomes there were clear and linear trends for declining birth order to be associated with increasing educational achievement. These trends were reflected in an overall achievement measure that showed that first-born children had mean scores that were 0.45 standard deviations higher than fourth- or later-born children

These analyses clearly showed that increasing birth order was associated with declining achievement independently of the effects of family size. Further examination suggested that later birth position was associated with both advantages and disadvantages in terms of family background and personal history. Advantages included increased maternal age, a lower likelihood of being born into a single-parent family, and a higher birth weight. Disadvantages included a lower level of maternal education, a lower likelihood of having been breast fed, and lower scholastic ability.