Self-portrait_of_Constance_Mayer_with_her_father

A daughter is a

female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...

offspring In biology, offspring are the young creation of living organisms, produced either by sexual reproduction, sexual or asexual reproduction. Collective offspring may be known as a brood or progeny. This can refer to a set of simultaneous offspring ...

; a

girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...

or a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

in relation to her

parent A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are First-degree relative, first-degree relatives and have ...

s. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups or elements. From biological perspective, a daughter is a

first degree relative Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as m ...

. The word daughter also has several other connotations attached to it, one of these being used in reference to a female descendant or

consanguinity Consanguinity (from Latin '':wikt: consanguinitas, consanguinitas'' 'blood relationship') is the characteristic of having a kinship with a relative who is descended from a common ancestor. Many jurisdictions have laws prohibiting people who are ...

. It can also be used as a term of endearment coming from an elder. In

patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

societies, daughters often have different or lesser familial rights than sons. A family may prefer to have sons rather than daughters and subject daughters to

female infanticide Female infanticide is the deliberate killing of newborn female children. Female infanticide is prevalent in several nations around the world. It has been argued that the low status in which women are viewed in patriarchal societies creates a bias ...

. In some societies, it is the custom for a daughter to be 'sold' to her husband, who must pay a

bride price Bride price, bride-dowry, bride-wealth, bride service or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dowry ...

. 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 a

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

. The payment of a dowry can be found in societies where women do not labour outside the home. Table of Consanguinity showing degrees of relationship

Table of Consanguinity showing degrees of relationship

Perception

In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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. In fertility clinics that enable sex preferences, daughters are usually preferred over sons. In the traditions of various

Abrahamic religions The term Abrahamic religions is used to group together monotheistic religions revering the Biblical figure Abraham, namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The religions share doctrinal, historical, and geographic overlap that contrasts them wit ...

Luluwa Aclima (also Kalmana, Lusia, Cainan, Luluwa, Âwân) according to some religious traditions was the oldest daughter of Adam and Eve and the sister (in many sources, the twin sister) of Cain. This would make her the first woman to be born natura ...

is regarded as the first daughter to have ever existed.

Daughters in literature

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:

References

5. Britannica. (n.d.). ''Dowry''. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/dowry.

External links

* * *Explanation o
dowry
{{Authority control Family Women by role Terms for women

Perception

Daughters in literature

See also

References

External links