The Impact of Gender, Age Gaps, and Birth Order in Large Groups of Siblings

• In Event: 41021 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 9: Global Family Dynamics

Abstract

Previous studies on large families look into the outcomes of education, family size replication, or birth order and resource distribution. Other studies look into gender and parentification, or parental roles in how labor is distributed in families based on gender. The main question being asked in this study is, does being raised in a large family impact lifelong outcomes based on external factors such as gender or birth order? Using in-depth one on one interview methods, the study follows the experiences of fifteen subjects across various race, gender, class, and birth order to find any implications of lifelong development from being raised in a family with large sibling cohorts. The findings of this study showed that gender plays a large role in the types of labor that are distributed amongst sibling cohorts, especially chores that are typically deemed feminine being allocated to the daughters and masculine to the sons. In addition, parentification of children was correlated with age gaps in the family, as well as with positioning in the birth order, primarily with first born children who had significant age gaps to their youngest siblings. Finally, the findings show a relationship between birth order and the decision to replicate a family with similar sibling cohort sizes. The significance of this study shows that gender and birth order were more impactful in lifelong development in large families than race or class. Further research can delve into the impact of race and class onto the gender experiences faced within large sibling cohorts.

Author

• Isabella Mcclintock, University of California, Santa Barbara