I’m sick of people assuming I prefer my daughter to my sons
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Lazy. Toxic. Less academic. These are the stereotypes I’ve noticed boys have to contend with when growing up, compared to girls. And now we’re throwing into the mix that your parents probably favour your sister (if you have one). That is, according to a new research paper titled, ‘Parents Favor Daughters: A Meta-Analysis of Gender and other Predictors of Parental Differential Treatment’.
![[Emma Reed - the favourite children findings sends the wrong message to boys]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236702410-6420.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It found that sons and (to a lesser degree) younger siblings are ‘less favoured’ and therefore at greater risk of ‘maladaptive outcomes’. As the mother of two sons and one daughter (21, 17, and 15 respectively) my immediate reaction was that it is yet another thing to add to the ever-growing pile of things for boys to feel bad about.
![[Emma Reed - the favourite children findings sends the wrong message to boys]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236702408-bb67.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
According to the study, my own childhood hit the genetic jackpot of being a daughter. But as an only child, I didn’t know what it was like to have a brother, so I am grateful that I joined the sixth form at a boys’ grammar school that started to admit girls.
![[Emma Reed - the favourite children findings sends the wrong message to boys]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236702358-da40.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
In my year, there were only two of us (the other girl was studying sciences while I was studying humanities). After the initial baptism of fire, those two years gave me an enlightening insight into the world of boys. I soon learned how the trading of light-hearted insults and humour among friends was a form of social currency and, before long, I became a relationship counsellor as the boys opened up.
