35% Of Americans Would Rather Be The Older Sibling

While most kids with siblings have probably, at one time or another, wished that they were an only child, as they become adults many people learn to appreciate their brothers and sisters.

And celebrating the relationship between the kids in a family brings National Brothers and Sisters Day right to the forefront!

• 1993 – Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal both appear in their father’s film, “A Dangerous Woman.”
• 2004 – Jodi Picoult’s famous novel, “My Sister’s Keeper” is published, telling the story of a brother and sister trying to support their older sister who is slowly dying from leukemia.
• 2006 – Television comedy “Brothers & Sisters” makes its premiere debut on ABC.
• 2015 – The first episode of “Schitt’s Creek” airs on CBC Television, featuring not only TV brother and sister David and Alexis, but also real life brother and sister, Daniel and Sarah Levy.
• Famous brothers and sisters:
  • Wolfgang and Maria Mozart – Most everyone has heard of the Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who only lived to be thirty-five but composed more than 600 musical works in his short life! However, what many people don’t realize is that Wolfgang had a sister, Maria, five years his senior, who was a huge influence on her younger brother’s work. – In fact, Maria was a musical prodigy herself, touring throughout Europe playing the harpsichord. She had to stop performing when she turned 18, but Maria continued to compose music and even did some writing with her brother.
  • Emily and Austin Dickinson – American poet, Emily Dickinson, has been influencing and delighting readers of literature for well over 100 years. But many people are less aware that Emily’s slightly older brother (by only 1 ½ years) was an attorney and an important figure in Amherst College in Massachusetts. In fact, Austin and Emily were very close and even lived next door to each other for some time.
  • Orville, Wilbur and Katharine Wright – The fame of the Wright Brothers is undisputed, as they have been credited for being the first to successfully fly a motor-operated airplane. But fewer people are aware of the role that their younger sister, Katharine, played in their success. When Orville was injured in an airplane crash, it was Katharine who left her teaching job to nurse him back to health and she was also an important part of running the family company.
• Shows about brothers and sisters:
  • This is Us. This six-season show features the past and current lives of three siblings, a set of twins as well as a brother who was adopted as an infant at the same time. Airing from 2016 to 2022, this show has a popular cast including Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Chrissy Metz.
  • Party of Five. A classic teen and family drama from the early 1990s, Party of Five ran from 1994 to 2000, telling the story of five kids who lose their parents in a car accident. The show stars Matthew Fox (from Lost), Scott Wolf and Neve Campbell.
  • Brothers and Sisters. Perfectly titled for this particular occasion, this drama about adult siblings ran from 2006 to 2011 and featured big names like Sally Field (who won an Emmy and a SAG award for her role) and Calista Flockhart.
  • Arrested Development. Those who are looking for more of an offbeat comedy might be interested in the strange antics that occur around the dysfunctional Bluth brothers and sisters, as well as their parents. With an all-star cast including Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi and Will Arnett, this comedy ran from 2003-2006 and had two more seasons in 2013 and 2019.
• Twins of the opposite sex are considered fraternal twins because they come from two separate eggs
• At least four brothers of Jesus are named in the Bible. His sisters were unnamed, but they were referred to as “sisters” so he had at least two.
• On average, siblings share approximately 50% of the same DNA.
• According to one study, by the time kids with siblings are 11 years old, they’ve spent roughly 33 percent of their free time with them.
• Despite sharing the same parents and upbringing, brothers and sisters are often quite different when it comes to their personalities.
• 35% of women would prefer to be the youngest child, 34% the oldest, 17% the middle child, and 14% an only child. Meanwhile, 40% of men would prefer to be the oldest child, 24% the youngest, 20% the middle child, and 16% an only child.
• 33% – the percentage of free time siblings have spent together by the time they reach the age of 11 years old.
• 10 – the number of hours children spend with their siblings per week.
• 17 – the number of hours children from large families spend with their siblings per week.
• ½ – the portion of all siblings who go on to share the same level of educational- and economic success.
• 14% – the percentage decrease in risk of obesity that drops with each additional sibling in a household.
• 65% – the percentage of mothers who claim to have a favorite child — typically the oldest one.
• 70% – the percentage of fathers who claim to have a favorite child.
• 3½ – the number of times in an hour that siblings aged between 3 and 7 years old get involved in fights.
• 390 – the number of families who participated in a research study that found younger siblings are more rebellious and aggressive than older siblings.
• 8 – the average age at which children start being bullied by their siblings.
• 89% of Americans have a brother or sister
• 35% of Americans would rather be the older sibling
• Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and King Edward VI – All three of these 16th-century monarchs shared the same father, King Henry VIII, though each had different mothers.
• The Jackson Five – Before Michael Jackson launched his solo career, he was just one of The Jackson Five, comprised of himself and four of his brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon. Not only was The Jackson Five one of Motown’s most successful acts in the 1970s, but the Jacksons were also among the first black teen idols with a white audience.
• The Kennedy siblings – The nine sons and daughters of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy each changed history in their own ways. From those you know by initial (ahem, JFK) to those you may not have heard of, here’s what to know about the famous siblings:
  • Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.: The eldest son, a heroic Navy lieutenant who was killed in action during World War II
  • John F. Kennedy: Beloved 35th U.S. president who was assassinated in 1963
  • Robert F. Kennedy: U.S. senator and Democratic presidential candidate, whose platform of racial justice may have cost him his life
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver: Founder of the Special Olympics
  • Jean Kennedy Smith: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland and founder of Very Special Arts, a nonprofit that helps disabled people engage in the arts
  • Edward Moore Kennedy: U.S. senator for 50 years, who wrote 300 bills that were enacted into law
• Venus and Serena Williams – California-born Venus and Serena Williams were the youngest of five sisters and barely out of toddlerhood when their dad, Richard, started teaching them tennis
• The Marx Brothers – The Marx Brothers, an enormously popular comedy act from the early 1920s until the late 1960s, was made up of five real brothers. From oldest to youngest, they were: Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo (not their real first names). Gummo dropped out of the act early on to become an agent, and Zeppo left the movie business altogether around 1933, after the making of Duck Soup. After 13 films, Chico and Harpo more or less retired, and Groucho began a second career as the host of You Bet Your Life.
• The Kelly Brothers – Scott and Mark Kelly, one of the most well-known sibling duos in history, are identical twins from West Orange, New Jersey, who grew up to be the ground-breaking astronauts at the center of NASA’s 2015–2016 twins study.

Sources:

National Today

Days of the Year

What to Expect