The social consequences of birth order in twins
Dr Elizabeth A. Stewart, Emerita, London School of Economics is a sociology professor, twin studies expert and a mother of twins. She recently shared her research on the social consequences of birth order with the ICOMBO community.
Regarding the management of a twin pregnancy and the actual delivery of twins, in the past in more industrialised societies and probably still relevant in less industrialised societies – birth order was indeed significant, especially in terms of perinatal mortality rates and/or generally in terms of less favourable birth circumstances for the second born. But with changing times and the increasing use of modern technology, this preferable position for the first-born seems to be altering. The importance of birth order is one of the areas least covered or even considered in the study of twins. The first question usually asked of the parent(s) of twins we would all agree is, ‘Are they identical?’ The question(s) which follow on from this are, ‘Which one is the older twin?’ or ‘Who was born first?’ The answers to these questions indeed have consequences, which vary in different cultures.
In this paper, Dr Stewart looks at myths and cultural norms around birth order of twins. She also asks twins and their parents about their personal experiences of learning birth order, and how that may have impact on the family.