Inequality starts at home

New research divulges that most parents really do treat siblings unequally, reports Canada's Globe and Mail. The study comes from the Universities of Missouri and Illinois, which tracked 74 families.

Researchers noted that if families make an effort to keep everyone in the loop as to the reasons for the preferential treatment certain siblings get, a more harmonious household can be born. Almost two-thirds of families misunderstood their own family dynamics.

In one case an older, more outgoing sibling felt he wasn't given as much attention as a sibling who felt less secure. He did not understand that it was due to differing personalities in which his younger sibling required more attention than he.

Most of the time, instances of favoritism were unintentional.