A study by researchers from the University of California has revealed the child parents favour more.
The research team led by professor Katherine Conger found that 74 per cent of mothers and 70 per cent of fathers confessed to liking one child more than another.
While it has always been suspected that parents tend to favour the youngest child, the researchers say it’s the first-born who feel they get preferential treatment.
The researchers also noted that younger brothers and sisters often sensed a bias towards the firstborn and they claim it knocked their self-esteem.
Professor Conger said her team were trying to prove that first-borns felt hard done by perceptions of differential treatment but were surprised with the findings.
The study of 384 families is published in the Journal of Family Psychology.
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