Are economic preferences shaped by the family context? The relation of birth order and siblings’ gender composition to economic preferences

Lena Detlefsen (), Andreas Friedl, Katharina Lima Miranda (), Ulrich Schmidt () and Matthias Sutter
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Lena Detlefsen: Kiel Institute for the World Economy
Andreas Friedl: Kiel Institute for the World Economy
Katharina Lima Miranda: Kiel Institute for the World Economy
Ulrich Schmidt: University of Kiel

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 2024, vol. 69, issue 1, No 1, 31 pages

Abstract: Abstract The formation of economic preferences in childhood and adolescence has long-term consequences for life outcomes. We study in an experiment how both birth order and siblings’ gender composition are related to risk, time, and social preferences. We find that second-born children are typically less patient, more risk-tolerant, and more trusting. However, siblings’ gender composition interacts importantly with birth order effects. Second-born children are more risk-taking only with same-gender siblings. In mixed-gender environments, children seem to identify with the gender stereotype that boys are much more willing to take risks than girls, irrespective of birth order. For trust and trustworthiness, birth order effects are larger with mixed-gender siblings. Only for patience, siblings’ gender composition does not matter.

Keywords: Birth order; Siblings’ gender composition; Economic preferences; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D10 D90 J12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s11166-024-09433-7

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