The preference for boys, the authors find, seems to be largely driven by fathers. At least since 1941, men have told pollsters by more than a two-to-one margin that they would rather have a boy. Women have only a slight preference for daughters.
Gallup has been polling Americans about their baby gender preferences since 1941, and the results are consistent — there's always a slight preference for sons over daughters. About 40% of parents, across the decades, have told researchers that if they could only have one child, they would want a boy.
If you thought "daddy's little girl" was a just cliché, think again. According to a study published today in Behavioral Neuroscience, dads are more attentive and responsive to toddler daughters' needs than fathers with sons of the same age.
This is probably because feelings are more acceptable in girls. Society expects girls to show emotions more readily than boys. This means that dads start engaging their daughters at an emotional level while they are still toddlers. Dads with girls respond more when their daughters cry out to them than those with sons.
It is often assumed that parents have no preference because they tell everyone they just want a healthy child, no matter the gender, but that simply is not true. Men want male children as a legacy play. They can carry on their legacy if their sons father children – hopefully at least one male child - and so on.
While cases vary across parents, a survey of more than 2,000 moms showed that parents of 12- to 14-year-old teens had a harder time than parents of toddlers, elementary school children, high school children, and adult children.
Kids generally describe their moms as more positive and less reactive. Kids generally feel they get in more trouble with their dads. Because kids have more contact with their moms, they know their moms better and rely on them for support.
Daughters naturally crave connection with their fathers, and they especially cherish emotional and physical affection from their fathers. In fact, according to Meg Meeker's research, when girls and dads have a stronger connection, daughters do better in life on a number of different levels.
Dads may not realize it, but they don't treat their sons and daughters the same way, according to a new study. Turns out, fathers are more attentive and responsive to their young daughters' cries compared to their sons and sing more to their little girls while roughhousing with their boys.
A recent study has found that it's not the youngest child that's liked the most. It's actually the eldest! While eldest children around the world have had to be the example for their younger siblings and parents being extra strict on them, it looks like there was a good reason.
Even if you don't fully recognize it, research indicates that there's a good chance that you actually do have a favorite. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found 74% of moms and 70% of dads reported preferential treatment toward one child.
Whilst parents may not intend to treat sons and daughters differently, research shows that they do. Sons appear to get preferential treatment in that they receive more helpful praise, more time is invested in them, and their abilities are often thought of in higher regard.
“Fathers tend to bring up girls and boys differently,” he explains. “Often they will be more protective and supportive of their daughters while they are more likely to try and teach their sons a lesson rather than talk about their emotions.
Statistically speaking, daughters win the day, but sons win dad by a nose. These findings are somewhat surprising, given the prevailing theory that preference for sons or daughters is based less on the sex of the parents than on their socioeconomic status.
It's all about Dad's genes
When I tell patients there's about a 50/50 chance for either sex, I also tell them the father's genes determine the baby's sex since some of his sperm carries X chromosomes and some carries Y chromosomes.
Indeed, research suggests that fathering daughters changes men's gender attitudes but there is little evidence of change in mothers' attitudes. Among previously-childless men, the birth of a daughter causes a larger shift toward more progressive gender ideology than does the birth of a son (Shafer and Malhotra 2011).
The “DAD effect” is when someone struggles with depression, followed by substance use (addiction), then denial (DAD). Being aware of DAD and understanding it will help determine the best support required.
If she has sex “too soon,” doesn't want to have sex, or is looking for reassurance, she's got “daddy issues.” If she prefers older men, likes to get spanked and called a bad girl, or calls her partner “daddy” in bed, it must be “daddy issues.”
But recent research has shown that a father's influence in his daughter's life shapes her self-esteem, self-image, confidence and opinions of men. A girl's relationship with her dad can determine her ability to trust, her need for approval and her self-belief. It can even affect her love life.
Our results suggest that early stronger daughter–mother attachment is one of these roots. In fact, as the attachment bond generally promotes proximity and interactions between individuals, the stronger daughter–mother attachment would promote proximity between them.
Her “First Love”
How a father treats both his daughter and her mother can help a young woman feel safe and secure in her relationships with the boys and men in her life, including her future husband.
Far from being competition, fathers tend to have an emotional effect on daughters, which helps build their character and decision making abilities later in life. Dad will make her feel pretty and special, and this is why they share a stronger bond.
They found that mothers overwhelmingly favoured daughters over sons: 80 per cent of mothers preferred to talk about a personal problem with a daughter, while only 20 per cent preferred a son.
Ana Girault on Instagram: “A mother is the son's first true love, a son, specially the first, it's their mother's last true love ♾️ -Denzel Washington-”
They express and build trust and hence are good communicators. Moms encourage their sons to express their feelings and are quite patient to them. Compared to dads, moms are usually soft-spoken and good listeners. Moms not only nurture their children but they also take care of their homeworks, playtime and other things.