Why do eldest daughters in traditional Chinese societies always carry the heaviest burden? Author Chang Hui-Tzu trains a macro sociological lens on a cross-generational family tale to dissect the foundations of societal mores and structures and hold out hope of curing Asia’s “eldest daughter syndrome” and promoting self-realization.

“A responsible, hardworking daughter is the best long-term care insurance program.” According to the findings of a Stanford University research project, daughters are inclined to altruistically look after their parents in old age. Eldest Daughter Syndrome author Chang Hui-Tzu highlights that, in traditional Asian families, the eldest daughter wears multiple hats as housework helper, second mother to her siblings, and primary caregiver to her elderly parents. This phenomenon is rooted in Confucian rules on family hierarchy and reinforced by stereotypes that pigeonhole females as instinctive caregivers. More than an occasional occurrence, eldest daughter syndrome is a direct reflection of paternalism and entrenched societal structures.


Chang’s sociological analysis approach, backed by in-depth field research and interviews, fleshes out a picture of the fate shared by generations of eldest daughters from all social strata. They are universally tasked with lightening the load of their parents and helping care for their siblings. In lower-class families, they are often sent off to work at a young age to help pay for their siblings’ educations. As an adult, minimal schooling limits options in work and often leads to a life that mirrors that of her parents. As parents grow elderly and frail, their care too falls naturally onto eldest daughters’ shoulders. In diagnosing the underlying social issues, Chang suggests solutions to overturn the norms of family hierarchy and male chauvinism and rectify outdated family structures to relieve overburdened eldest daughters and help them realize “I deserve to be taken care of as well.”


More than speaking out for overburdened eldest daughters, Eldest Daughter Syndrome lifts the veil on the familial roles of women and encourages all to consider how the status quo has created a syndrome that continues to overburden and underprivilege women at home, in the workplace, and beyond.