A 1931 photograph of four generations ofmothers and daughtersPierre Mayer with his daughterConstance Mayer, painted by Constance Mayer
Adaughter is afemaleoffspring; agirl or awoman in relation to herparents.Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is ason. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups or elements. From biological perspective, a daughter is afirst degree relative. The word daughter also has several other connotations attached to it, one of these being used in reference to a female descendant orconsanguinity. It can also be used as a term of endearment coming from an elder.
Inpatriarchal societies, daughters often have different or lesser familial rights than sons. A family may prefer to have sons rather than daughters and subject daughters tofemale infanticide.[1] In some societies, it is the custom for a daughter to be 'sold' to her husband, who must pay abride price. The reverse of this custom, where the parents pay the husband a sum of money to compensate for the financial burden of the woman and is known as adowry. The payment of a dowry can be found in societies where women do not labour outside the home.
The number next to each box in the Table of Consanguinity indicates the degree of relationship relative to the given person.First lady of the United StatesBetty Ford with her daughterSusan Ford
In theUnited States, the birth rate is 105 sons to 100 daughters which has been the natural birth rate since the 18th century. In the US, prospective parents seeking to adopt a child display a slight preference for girls over boys.[2] In fertility clinics that enable sex preferences, daughters are usually preferred over sons.[3] In the traditions of variousAbrahamic religions,Luluwa is regarded as the first daughter to have ever existed.[4]
The role of the daughter has been an important theme in literature, especially when exploring relationships between family members and gender roles. Through exploration of the relationship between children and their parents, readers can draw conclusions about the impact of parenting style on the growth and development of a child's character and personality.
Notable daughters whose character and development has been impacted by their parents in literature have been:[5]
^Stein, Dorothy (1988). "Burning Widows, Burning Brides: The Perils of Daughterhood in India".Pacific Affairs.61 (3):465–485.doi:10.2307/2760461.JSTOR2760461.
^Cole, Andrew. "Jewish Apocrypha and Christian Epistemologies of the Fall: The Dialogi of Gregory the Great and the Old Saxon Genesis." Rome and the North: The Early Reception of Gregory the Great in Germanic Europe: 157-188
