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Birth Order & Career Choice: Are They Connected?

posted by ChickSpeak
Friday, June 19, 2009 at 3:28pm EDT

This article is from bizMe online magazine by Suzanne Barstow. Check bizMe for your monthly dose of career advice.

I’m a new parent. I tell you this not just as a warning-those in the throws of babydom deserve special dispensation, so please excuse any cheesy clichés or sweeping generalizations that pop up in this article-but because it has caused me to think very carefully about birth order. See, dealing with a colicky newborn makes one balk at the idea of creating yet another life, a sibling that you will most likely screw up, resulting in massive therapy bills for not one but two of your offspring later in life.

I mentioned this one-and-done theory to my husband recently, and he visibly balked. “My son is NOT going to be an only child,” he announced. “Only children don’t play well with others. Do you want our kid to be selfish and socially inept?”

This type of unexpected vitriol from my normally mild-mannered spouse took me by surprise. But it also got me thinking-what other stereotypes do we hold about birth order? Is there any truth to these theories? And regardless of whether it’s a case of perception or fact, can your place as a youngest, eldest, middle or only child affect your career trajectory?

Unlike other ways to “predict” personality, like astrology or numerology, birth order is considered a legitimate (albeit controversial) theory, and has been studied by economists, psychologists, and medical professionals. Alfred Adler, an Austrian physician/psychologist and contemporary of Freud, was the first to really examine how your place in the family can affect your psychology. (Interesting fact: if you’ve ever dismissed an ex-boyfriend as having an inferiority complex, you have Adler to thank.) Some researchers and psychologists have denounced birth order theory, but there are many who believe that our place in the nuclear family can have long-reaching implications on our lives-and even our livelihood.

Nature or Nurture?

My older brother will be happy to know that he’s been right all along-firstborns really are smarter. A group of Norwegian researchers discovered that firstborns could lord three IQ points over their baby brothers and sisters. But this might be a case of nurture rather than nature. Parents tend to focus more attention on their firstborns, for several reasons.

First, it’s never a guarantee that there will be any more children, so it’s a biological imperative to put all our proverbial eggs into the firstborn’s basket. Second, there’s just more time available to spend with a firstborn or only child; once that second baby comes along, parents have to split hours, energy and money between the two kids. It’s not really surprising that firstborns do better in school and are more attentive and responsible, when you consider how much Baby Einstein, flashcard time and doting that is given to a first or only child.

Still, does it really matter how we got to be the way we are? If you’re a parent attempting to raise kids on a totally even playing field, or a psychologist studying this topic, then yes. But for our purpose, only one question remains: does your place in the family predict your management potential, how much money you stand to make, or even how you fare in the hiring process? First things (or firstborns) first: let’s examine the stereotypes surrounding birth order and how they play into the way we work.

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bizMe online magazine is the bizgal’s career coach. bizMe coaches and mentors the young professional female on her career relationship dynamics, ethical values, overall career etiquette, and how to advance graciously, competitively, and honorably. http://www.bizme.biz/ the bizgal’s bizguide.