Having multiple children of same sex 'does not run in family'

Researchers say whether a family has lots of boys or girls, or equal mix, is down to chance

Mrs Bennet may have lamented having five daughters and no son in Pride and Prejudice, but it appears that Lizzy and her sisters would be unlikely to produce a similar set of children: research suggests having multiple offspring of the same sex does not run in the family.

In the largest study of its kind, researchers have found that whether a family is dominated by boys or girls - or has an equal mix - is simply down to chance.