Birth Order, Sex, and Honors Students' Status in a State University

Abstract

This study compares data on birth-order characteristics of an honors-student group and a nonhonors group at the University of Florida, by sex. The honors students were mostly freshmen whose SAT scores were within the top three percent of university applicants' scores and who had applied for the special honors program. A few were sophomores who had entered the program later on the basis of demonstrated achievement. The nonhonors group was a sample of mostly freshmen and sophomores who resided in undergraduate dormitories. Data were collected in the fall and winter of 1978-9, with sample sizes of 61 honors males, 49 honors females, 66 nonhonors.males, and 79 nonhonors females, after the only children were deleted. The number of firstborns within each sibship size represented in each group was calculated, and that number was compared to what would be expected if the subjects came equally from all ordinal positions within the various sibship sizes represented. The hypothesis of overrepresentation of firstborns was tested with a chi-squared goodness-of-fit test, giving the probability of finding a sample as far from the expectations as that observed, if the true populations represented by the samples had the expected proponions of firstborns. Results of the tests showed no first-born overrepresentation for males in either the honors or the nonhonors group. For females, a significant overrepresentation of firstborns was found in the honors group ( P < ,025) but not in the nonhonors group. Over half ( 5 7 % ) of the female honors students were firstborn. That the nonhonors students showed no birth-order effect may mean that families no longer give priority to firstborns in sending their children to college or that just going to college no longer requires special motivation. The sex-difference in the birth-order effect for honors students requires interpretation. It might be that sons high in achievement are more likely to be sent to more selective universities which may be distant from home. while daughters high in achievement are encouraged to attend local state universities and to enter their honors programs. This would be consistent with finding that more highly selective universities show stronger birth-order effects for males (see Alms, 1966; Bayer, 1966) and that women students typically attend college closer to home and at less expensive institutions than men (Jencks & Riesman, 1968, p. 294). Data from a variety of universities would be needed to test this interpretation.