Born leaders?

Are firstborn children more likely to have a successful career than their younger brothers and sisters? Researchers disagree on the answer to this question. One study from 2017 for the Institute of Labor Economics in Sweden found that firstborn children were 30 per cent more likely to be CEOs, while the youngest child in a family was more likely to be self-employed.

But research done in 2020 by psychologist Rodica Damian, from the University of Houston, found that the connection between birth order and future career has been exaggerated. Damian says that “there is little to no evidence here to suggest that first- vs later-borns are destined for specific careers”. Which study you choose to believe may well depend on your birth order.