Work

The effect of birth order on children’s time use

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Recent research shows that birth order affects human capital outcomes, yet there is limited empirical evidence on the underlying mechanisms. This study examines the effect of birth order on children’s time use across activities that are important for human capital development. Using detailed time-use diaries of Australian children aged 2–15, we find that within families with two or three children, later-born children spend less time on enrichment activities and more on digital media, compared to first-born children. We obtain the same findings when we repeat the analysis using detailed time-use diaries of US children. Further investigation reveals that part of the birth order effect is driven by parents spending less time with later-born children compared to first-borns. However, later-borns also independently devote less of their own time to enrichment activities, suggesting that personal time use may be an important mechanism behind the well-documented impact of birth order on human capital development. We find evidence that later-born children experience more lenient parenting, which may help explain this pattern of own time use.

Source: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2026.107418

Authors: Nicole Black, Danusha Jayawardana, Gawain Heckley

Institutions: Monash University, Lund University

Language: English

Topic: Family Dynamics and Relationships

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,180