A sister is 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 ...

or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a

brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...

. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familial relationships. A full sister is a first-degree relative.

Overview

The English word ''sister'' comes from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

which itself derives from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...

''*swestēr'', both of which have the same meaning, i.e. sister. Some studies have found that sisters display more traits indicating jealousy around their siblings than their male counterparts,

s. In some cultures, sisters are afforded a role of being under the protection by male siblings, especially older brothers, from issues ranging from bullies or sexual advances by womanizers. In some quarters, the term ''sister'' has gradually broadened its colloquial meaning to include individuals stipulating

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...

. In response, in order to avoid equivocation, some publishers prefer the usage of ''female sibling'' over ''sister''. Males with a twin sister sometimes view her as their female alter ego, or what they would have been like if they had two X chromosomes. A study in Perth, Australia found that girls having only youngers brothers resulted in a ''chastity effect'': losing their virginity on average more than a year later than average. This has been hypothesized as being attributed to the pheromones in their brothers' sweat and household-related errands.

Sororal relationships

Various studies have shown that older sisters are likely to give a varied

gender role A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

to their younger siblings, as well as being more likely to develop a close bond with their younger siblings.Gender — Page 53, Leanne Franklin – 2012 Older sisters are more likely to play with their younger siblings. Younger siblings display more needy behavior when near their older sister and are more likely to be tolerant of an older sister's bad behavior. Boys with only one older sister are more likely to display stereotypically male behavior, and such

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

boys increased their masculine behavior with the more sisters they have. The reverse is true for young boys with several sisters, as they tend to be

feminine Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

, however, they outgrow this by the time they approach

pubescence Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's Human body, body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormone, hormonal signals from the Human brain, brain to the gonads: the ovary ...

. Boys with older sisters were less likely to be delinquent or have

emotional and behavioral disorders Emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; also known as behavioral and emotional disorders) refer to a disability classification used in educational settings that allows educational institutions to provide special education and related services to ...

. A younger sister is less likely to be scolded by older siblings than a younger brother. The most common recreational activity between older brother/younger sister pairs is art drawing. Some studies also found a correlation between having an older sister and constructive discussions about safe sexual practices. Some studies have shown that men without sisters are more likely to be ineffectual at courtship and romantic relationships.Leventhal, Gerald S. "Influence of brothers and sisters on sex-role behavior." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 16.3 (1970): 452.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Kinship and descent Terms for women

Overview

Sororal relationships

See also

References

External links