A new study published in Psychological Bulletin suggests that parents may be more likely to display preferential treatment towards their daughters than their sons. According to Live Science, this trend applies to both mothers and fathers, indicating a consistent pattern of favoritism towards daughters.
The study was conducted by researchers Alexander C. Jensen from Brigham Young University and McKell A. Jorgensen-Wells from the University of Western Ontario. They analyzed data from 30 separate studies and databases, encompassing nearly 20,000 participants predominantly from the US and Western Europe. The meta-analysis aimed to investigate the factors that influence parental favoritism among siblings.
"The answer is a nuanced yes," reported Live Science. The researchers found that parental favoritism is influenced not only by the child's gender but also by their personality traits and birth order.
The study indicates that parents favor children who are perceived to be more agreeable and conscientious than their siblings, as these traits contribute to a more harmonious family dynamic. Conscientious children are usually favorites, and receive better treatment from parents, who may find them easier to manage and respond more positively to them.
The research revealed that older siblings often receive preferential treatment compared to their younger counterparts. "Older siblings tend to be favored by parents, possibly due to perceptions of their maturity, which leads to greater autonomy as parents place more trust in them," reported The Guardian. This favoritism towards older children may strengthen their position in the family, granting them more responsibility and trust.
"For decades, researchers have known that differences in parental treatment can have lasting consequences on children," stated lead author Alexander Jensen from Brigham Young University, according to the New York Post. Jensen added, "It is crucial to ensure that all children feel loved and supported."
The study also explored the impact of parental favoritism on children's development. Favored individuals are less behaviorally problematic and tend to have longer-lasting partnerships that are more stable. Favored children have fewer behavioral problems, while non-favored children tend to have more problematic behaviors, strained family relationships, and reduced academic success and self-regulation skills, reported Tagesschau.
Experts caution that parental favoritism often occurs subtly or unintentionally. "Parents make differences, often unconsciously," said Martin Diewald, a sociologist from the University of Bielefeld, as cited by Tagesschau. He explained that parents may develop a closer relationship more easily with sociable children because "that makes everything easier."
The researchers acknowledge that the reasons behind parental favoritism are complex and extend beyond the factors explored in the study.
The authors recommend that parents and clinicians be aware of which children in a family tend to be favored to recognize potentially harmful family patterns. "Parents should use our study as an impetus to think about their treatment of the children and ensure that differences are fair and understandable," Dr. Jensen advised, according to Focus Online.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.