It’s Time We Acknowledge That Older Sisters Are The Backbone Of Society

Finally, there’s an “eldest daughter revolution” happening.

Younger children everywhere, you’ve been put on notice: Your oldest sister is tired of doing it all.

On Reductress, a jokey headline declared, “‘Eldest Daughter’ Finally Added as Official Diagnosis in DSM-V” because of all the mental duress oldest sisters are under. (Though not an actual psychological diagnosis, the pop psychology phrase “oldest daughter syndrome” has hit a nerve with many oldest daughters.)

On TikTok, youngest brothers ― those diametrically opposed to oldest daughters in responsibilities ― jokingly apologize for doing the bare minimum in life and skirting the emotional labor that’s second nature to women.

Elsewhere on social media, big sisters joke about how it’s time we acknowledge that older sisters are the backbone of society. (It’s true: Big sisters tend to be overrepresented in powerful women lists. What do Eleanor Roosevelt, Taylor Swift, Hillary Clinton and Beyoncé all have in common? They’re all high-performing older sisters.)

Eldest daughters see what needs to be done and do it ― but it comes at a cost, said Lisette Schuitemaker, the author of “The Eldest Daughter Effect: How Firstborn Women Harness Their Strengths.”