Nature and nurture: the relation between number of siblings and earnings

Abstract

In this study, we examine the relation between different kinds of siblings and earnings and find that both nature and nurture matter: full-siblings are equally negatively related to earnings regardless of whether one grew up with them or not. The number of step-siblings, on the other hand, also turns out significant if one grew up together.

Keywords:

• siblings
• earnings
• nature
• nurture

JEL Classification:

• D31
• J31

Acknowledgements

This article has benefited from comments by Fredrik Carlsson and Åsa Löfgren. Financial support from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation, the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation and the Wilhelm and Martina Lundgren Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.

Notes

¹ At the time of the study, the exchange rate was 1 Euro (EUR) = 9.47 SEK and 1 US Dollar (USD) = 7.23 SEK.

² The p-value for the t-test between Definition 1 and Definition 3 is 0.034.

³ The coefficient of full-siblings one did not grow up with is not significantly different from that of full-siblings one grew up with (p-value = 0.285).

⁴ T-tests between the two definitions of full-siblings and step-siblings one grew up with gives the p-values of 0.259 and 0.543, respectively.