# People with Exactly Two Children and At Least One Daughter **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608 "2010-01-19T20:37:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/21 "2010-01-20T00:09:41Z")
> [@bup](#): > > In other words, I’m politely requesting that people only answer for their own kids, if they have exactly two with at least one daughter. Everyone else sit on your hands. Damn, forgiveness is easier than permission I suppose. Scratch one of the “Yes” then. I answered for my parents. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/22 "2010-01-20T00:10:45Z")
I have no children, but I voted on behalf of my brother who has two daughters. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/23 "2010-01-20T00:16:13Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Depends. If all I want to do is reject the null hypothesis (that the true split should be 50/50) I think I’ve already got enough (haven’t run the numbers - will tonight). I think (based on what I’m learning in Stats) that one should have an N of 100 to have a nice good sample size but I have no idea if that’s really true or not, and I’m doubting it. Also, I think you should also have a 2:1 ratio in this test of yours. The 4 TRUE options should have been: MM/MF/FM/FF (and thus getting 2:1:1 as your possible answers). It would only be 50% if you compared it as “Same Sex” vs. “Not-same sex” with each having a 50% ratio, at least that’s the case if we were doing punnet squares and vastly simplifying the inheritance rations and such to 50% with 2 variables of the ration (XX\*XY). I doubt it’s that easy and realistic in the real world. But hey, that’s a nice AP Bio question right there if you simplified it down that way! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/24 "2010-01-20T01:07:48Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > I think (based on what I’m learning in Stats) that one should have an N of 100 to have a nice good sample size but I have no idea if that’s really true or not, and I’m doubting it. Meh. I think you’re thinking of 30, at least for a t-distribution. > [@](#): > > Also, I think you should also have a 2:1 ratio in this test of yours. Of course. But if you look at the thread linked in post 3, there are those out there who believe the answer should be 50/50. I thought this poll might convince doubters that, even if they don’t believe it’s 1:2, at least it’s not 1:1. Rejecting a null hypothesis that it is 1:1 is easy, using the t-distribution. With the present breakout of 14:27, we get 65.9% that the other child is a son, and a standard error with 41 observations of 7.4%. So even right now we can say with 95% confidence that the real breakout in the full population is somewhere between 51% and 81%. In other words, it ain’t 50/50. This does assume that the people who answered the poll have no expected bias from the population at large that has two kids, one of whom is a daughter. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/25 "2010-01-20T01:11:35Z")
fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/26 "2010-01-20T03:22:30Z")
I have only two children, both girls, but I’ve been pregnant four times in my life if that matters. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/27 "2010-01-20T14:06:56Z")
I’ve got two little girls, I’m surrounded by estrogen. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/28 "2010-01-20T14:18:24Z")
Oh yeah … to further muddy the waters … my boy and girl, the fraternal twins … they have a half sister and half brother too. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/29 "2010-01-20T15:32:31Z")
Two children: one boy, one girl. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/30 "2010-01-20T15:41:03Z")
Updating the stats - having the other child a boy is now at 63.4%, with a standard error of 5.7%. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/31 "2010-01-20T15:46:30Z")
One of each for me. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/32 "2010-01-20T17:51:56Z")
Two girls. It’s good to see that this poll matches my math! ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/33 "2010-01-21T00:33:22Z")
Both my son and my daughter love counterintuitive things. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/34 "2010-01-21T10:21:00Z")
I have two children, both daughters. And I love them with all my being. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/35 "2010-01-21T15:40:40Z")
Two children, both daughters. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608/36 "2010-01-21T15:47:51Z")
Nice results! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-exactly-two-children-and-at-least-one-daughter/525608.md?page=1)