Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/252261 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15137
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Does growing up with a sister rather than a brother affect personality? In this paper, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the effects of siblings' gender on adults' personality, using data from 85,887 people from 12 large representative surveys covering 9 countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, China, and Indonesia). We investigated the personality traits risk tolerance, trust, patience, locus of control, and the Big Five. We found no meaningful causal effects of the gender of the next younger sibling, and no associations with the gender of the next older sibling. Based on high statistical power and consistent results in the overall sample and relevant subsamples, our results suggest that siblings' gender does not systematically affect personality.
Subjects: 
personality
economic preferences
sibling gender
sibling sex
JEL: 
J12
J16
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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