Ruling the Roost: First-Borns Most Likely to Become CEOs

In its spectacular survey, the Institute for Evaluation of Labor Market and Education Policy (IFAU) used data from number-crunchers Statistics Sweden and decades-long enlistment records to establish how siblings' role in the family affect careers. All in all, the professions of around 1,400,000 siblings during the period 1996-2009 and personality information for 500,000 enlisted brothers during the period 1969-2000 were compared to establish a possible link between birth order and personality.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for parents of many children, it was concluded that first-borns achieve greater social maturity, have better motivation and perseverance as well as emotional stability, which greatly improves their chances of climbing up the career ladder. Accordingly, first-born sons are 33 percent more likely to rise to top manager positions, compared to their third-born siblings.

​Remarkably, the opposition is even more manifest as regards the fair sex. First-born daughters are 60 percent more likely to become top-level managers and call the shots. The Swedish scientists explained that the sibling order was of much greater importance for women, since there are far fewer female CEOs around.

Whereas older siblings fare better in the labor market, younger siblings were found to have a predilection for creative jobs and are not disinclined to starting their own businesses.

"So far we cannot tell whether it depends on the younger siblings creativity or simply because they have more difficulties finding jobs," Björn Öckert, a professor at Uppsala University and one of the authors of the report, told Swedish scientific magazine Forskning.

However, the fact that older siblings have better social skills depends solely on the environment. Parents seem to invest more time and effort in their first-born children. Younger siblings have been estimated to spend significantly less time on doing homework; they read fewer books, watch more TV and play more video games.

"Parents seem to devote more time and attention to older siblings, which can be an important explanation for why they have better social skills and make corresponding career choices," scientist Erik Grönqvist at Uppsala University explained.

Social skills are very important for progressing in the labor market. Further research may shed new light on how human personality is formed and how family relationships and children's upbringing affect one's choices in life and career possibilities.