Birth Order and Attainment of the Doctorate a Test of Economic Hypotheses

Abstract

One of the often posed explanations for the repeated finding of an overrepresentation of earlyborn among high academic achievement groups has been that firstborn have greater access to family financial resources for education than do those born later. Data from a sample of 8,124 Doctorates whose fathers have little education are not as likely to be firstborn as are those whose fathers have greater educational accomplishments. Later-born who attain the doctorate are not found to be lacking older brothers more often than expected. High measured ability level does not appear to be a compensatory trait for those assumed to be in a position of relative financ al disadvantage. Alternative explanations of the pervasiveness of birth-order effects on achievement are noted, and the role of future birth-order research is discussed.