Ashley Clouthier expressed her delight when she welcomed her first child, a boy, fulfilling her wish for a large family with sons close in age. With subsequent births also being boys, she now has four boys aged 13, 12, 10, and 4. Although she doesn’t plan to have more children, she humorously remarked that if she did, it would likely be another boy.
A recent study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that the sex of a child at birth may not be entirely random. The study analyzed data from 58,007 U.S. women with multiple singleton live births, revealing that some families have a higher probability of having only boys or only girls.
Mothers with three or more children were found to be more inclined to have all boys or all girls, challenging the common belief that the sex of a child is a 50-50 chance each pregnancy. The study indicated that families with three boys had a 61% chance of having another boy, while families with three girls had a 58% chance of having another girl.
Dr. Sebastian Hobson, a maternal fetal medicine specialist, noted that the study suggests subtle biological or genetic influences rather than pure chance impacting the sex of offspring. However, he cautioned that the study’s findings should be interpreted carefully, as the effects observed were small and the study primarily focused on a white, U.S.-based population.
Previous research has shown that parents are more likely to have a third child if their first two children share the same sex, often hoping for a child of the opposite sex. However, this desire for gender balance in the family doesn’t always align with the reality of birth outcomes, as illustrated in a study in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.
Despite societal expectations and comments from others, Clouthier and her friend Krystyna Recoskie, who also has three boys, highlighted the blessings of having children of the same sex. Clouthier emphasized the practical advantages of having four boys, including shared items and overlapping birthday party themes. She expressed contentment with her sons’ personalities, balancing their energetic nature with sweetness and affection.
In conclusion, while studies suggest that biological factors may influence the likelihood of having all-boys or all-girls families, the complexities of sex determination and parental expectations demonstrate the unique dynamics of each family’s journey.