"What do Angela Merkel, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Christine Lagarde, Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Sandberg, JK Rowling and Beyoncé have in common?" was the headline in the English newspaper The Observer in 2014. "Other than riding high in Forbes list of the world’s most powerful women," journalist Tracy McVeigh wrote in answer to her own question, "they are also all firstborn children in their families. Firstborn children really do excel."

So what does it mean to be an eldest daughter?

Firstborns Lisette Schuitemaker and Wies Enthoven set out to discover the big five qualities that characterize all eldest daughters to some degree. Eldest daughters are responsible, dutiful, thoughtful, expeditious and caring. Firstborns are more intelligent than their siblings, more proficient verbally and more motivated to perform. Yet at the same time they seriously doubt that they are good enough. Being an eldest daughter can have certain advantages, but the overbearing sense of responsibility often gets in the way. Parents may worry about their ‘difficult’ eldest girl who wants to be perfect in everything she does whilst her siblings may not always understand her. "The Eldest Daughter Effect" shows how firstborn girls become who they are and offers insights that can give them more freedom to move. And parents will gain a better understanding of their firstborn children and can support them more fully on their way. "Lisette Schuitemaker discusses the characteristics and possible advantages or challenges of being an eldest daughter, and also how the birth order of a child influences their developing view of themselves and the world. READ THIS BOOK to discover some of the qualities that distinguish the first born, which include an extraordinary sense of responsibility, a tendency to take the lead, a fear of making mistakes, being hit hard by criticism and caring for others to the point of exhaustion. First-born children sometimes have an innate intelligence and do better at school than their younger siblings and often become accomplished leaders in whatever field they chose to go onto. We also will discover the characteristics of the second child and middle child, and how they also develop qualities which help the family to be more united. Each child offers special advantages for the family unit. Some of the eldest daughters discussed in this book are, Sheryl Sandberg, Lady Gaga, Whoopy Goldberg, and Meryl Streep. A good read for eldest children and parents wishing to know more about the uniqueness of their children, and also for understanding that the family is a unit where everyone finds the space to express themselves."