The Firstborn Advantage: Birth Order and Resource Allocation of the Joseon Royal Family in the Late Thirteenth- to Mid-Sixteenth-Century Korea

Abstract

This study examines the strategies employed by elite families to maintain their sociopolitical status, with a particular focus on resource allocation among offspring. Based on the royal genealogies of Joseon Dynasty (Seonwonrok jokbo), which span from the late Goryeo (late thirteenth century) to the early Joseon (mid-sixteenth century) periods, the study uses logit regression analysis to identify patterns of inheritance. The findings indicate that birth order palyed a significant role in resource distribution, with eldest sons disproportionately occupying elite bureaucratic positions. Challenging the assumption of egalitarian inheritance prior to widespread Confucian norms, this study argues that the early Joseon royal family had already embraced primogeniture-like practices, predating Korea's broader societal shift toward patrilineal inheritance in centuries that followed.