For Yasin Bojang, 29, being the oldest of five siblings meant experiencing a very different childhood to her brothers and sisters. Having immigrated to the UK from Gambia after she was born, her parents had to work long hours to support their family. This meant that, when Yasin’s brother (her first sibling) came along nine years after her, she often had to look after him.

“It was more of a mother-child relationship than a brother-sister relationship,” says Yasin. “I would go to school and know that I had to be home in time to look after him. My weekends were reserved for looking after him. I remember having to take him into town with my friends and being embarrassed. I thought: ‘No one else’s siblings are here; why do I have to bring my brother?’”

When she was 11, Yasin was taught how to cook so that she could make dinner for her family. Instead of focusing on school, she was encouraged to prioritise domestic chores. As an adult, Yasin realised that other women had experienced something similar, leading her to set up Home Girls Unite, a UK-based support group for eldest daughters from immigrant families.

Why siblings have very different experiences growing up in the same family