People think I’m joking when I tell them my older brother was always the favourite child, and I have a piece of paper to prove it. But my mother’s will from 2013, which bestowed my brother double the amount of inheritance, is hard to ignore. The will wasn’t a surprise.
On our way to lunch one August afternoon, I accompanied my parents to a lawyer’s office to review the document drawn up when my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer . Mum didn’t have many assets but wanted to ensure her medical retirement package would be divided “fairly” between her children and grandchildren. The lawyer hesitated when he looked at the sums split between her two children and said, “Is this correct?” I sighed loudly; my mother hissed, “Not now”, at me as she nodded at the lawyer, indicating everything was correct.
I wasn’t about to pick a fight with a dying woman. At the age of 31, I’d finally made my peace with the fact that my brother, who is five years older, got more financial assistance from my parents. However, it took years of jealousy and arguments before I reached a place of acceptance.
New statistics reveal that a gender pay gap between siblings is common. Last week Zoopla reported that, on average, female first-time beneficiaries were given or lent £51,671 towards their first property by parents, while sons got an average of £65,004, meaning men typically got £13,333 more than women. A Zoopla spokesperson suggested this may be because parents of daughte.