Sister

Female sibling

For other uses, see Sister (disambiguation) and Sisters (disambiguation).

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Biological sisters who share many phenotypic facial features

A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling.[1] The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familial relationships.[2] A full sister is a first-degree relative.

## Overview

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Two child sisters, c. 1911. Three sisters from the Spencer family, c. 1902. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil and her sister Princess Leopoldina riding horses, c. 1868.

The English word sister comes from Old Norse systir which itself derives from Proto-Germanic *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, brothers.[3] 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.[4] In some quarters, the term sister has gradually broadened its colloquial meaning to include individuals stipulating kinship.[5] In response, in order to avoid equivocation, some publishers prefer the usage of female sibling over sister.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

## Sororal relationships

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Various studies have shown that older sisters are likely to give a varied gender role to their younger siblings, as well as being more likely to develop a close bond with their younger siblings.[9] Older sisters are more likely to play with their younger siblings.[10] Younger siblings display a more needy behavior when in close proximity to their older sister[11] and are more likely to be tolerant of an older sister's bad behavior.[12] Boys with only an older sister are more likely to display stereotypically male behavior, and such masculine boys increased their masculine behavior with the more sisters they have.[13] The reverse is true for young boys with several sisters, as they tend to be feminine, however, they outgrow this by the time they approach pubescence.[14] Boys with older sisters were less likely to be delinquent or have emotional and behavioral disorders.[15] A younger sister is less likely to be scolded by older siblings than a younger brother.[16] The most common recreational activity between older brother/younger sister pairs is art drawing.[9] Some studies also found a correlation between having an older sister and constructive discussions about safe sexual practices.[17] Some studies have shown that men without sisters are more likely to be ineffectual at courtship and romantic relationships.[18]

## Famous sisters

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left to right Kim, Khloé, Kourtney Kardashian Kendall and Kylie Jenner

* Anna, Louisa, Elizabeth, and Abigail Alcott, daughters of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abby May and Louisa's novel Little Women loosely based on the lives of herself and her three sisters
* Maude Apatow and Iris Apatow, actresses and daughters of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
* Rosanna Arquette, Patricia Arquette, and Alexis Arquette, actresses
* Cassandra and Jane Austen
* Chloe and Halle Bailey, music duo singers Chloe x Halle and actresses
* Estelle Bennett and Veronica Bennett, singers and members of The Ronettes
* Nikki and Brie Bella, wrestlers and known as The Bella Twins
* Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë, novelists
* Barbara and Jenna Bush, daughters of George W. Bush and Laura Bush
* Elizabeth and Mary Cheney, daughters of Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney
* Penélope Cruz and Mónica Cruz, actresses
* Brandi Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, and Noah Cyrus, singers, actresses, and daughters of Billy Ray Cyrus
* Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne, models and actresses
* Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel, actresses
* Haylie Duff and Hilary Duff, actresses and singers
* Sarah Moore Grimké and Angelina Grimké, activists and known as the "Grimké sisters"
* Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, actresses
* Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid, models

Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen

* Este Haim, Danielle Haim, and Alana Haim, musicians duo band Haim
* Kamala Harris and Maya Harris, politicians and lawyers
* Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, media personalities, socialites, and models
* Rebbie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, and Janet Jackson, singers and sisters of The Jackson 5 and the Jackson family
* Lynda and Luci Baines Johnson, daughters of Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson
* Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner, media personalities, socialites, and daughters of Kris Jenner
* Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, singers and actresses
* Kate Mara and Patricia "Rooney" Mara, actresses
* Aly and AJ Michalka, actresses and music duo singers Aly & AJ
* Kate and Pippa Middleton, socialites
* Tia and Tamera Mowry, actresses
* Malia and Sasha Obama, daughters of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
* Mary-Kate, Ashley, and Elizabeth Olsen, actresses, businesswomen, fashion designers, and known as "the Olsen twins"
* Anna Pierangeli and Maria Pierangeli, actresses
* Rainey Qualley and Margaret Qualley, actresses and daughters of Andie MacDowell
* Tegan and Sara Quin, music duo
* Nicole Richie and Sofia Richie, media personalities and daughters of Lionel Richie
* Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson, singers and actresses
* Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears, singers and actresses
* Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị, Vietnamese fighters
* Mary I of England and Elizabeth I, daughters of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
* Venus Williams and Serena Williams, tennis players
* Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor II and Princess Margeret, daughters of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

## Fictional works about sisters

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Two Sisters by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

### Films

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* What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
* Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
* The Virgin Suicides (1999)
* Hanging Up (2000)
* Frozen (2013)
* Little Women (2019)
* Trolls Band Together (2023)

### Literature

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* Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
* Laura Lee Hope's Bobbsey Twins novels, which included two sets of fraternal twins: 12-year-old Nan and Bert, and six-year-old Flossie and Freddie
* In Her Shoes (2002), by Jennifer Weiner

### Television

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* Hope & Faith, American sitcom
* Sisters
* What I Like About You
* Sister, Sister

### Games

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* Jessica & Zofia Blazkowicz, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
* Mileena & Kitana, Mortal Kombat
* Kat and Ana, WarioWare

## See also

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* Brother
* Religious sister
* Sisterhood (disambiguation)
* Stepsibling

## References

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1. ^ "Definition of sister in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
2. ^ Mufwene, Salikoko S. "The pragmatics of kinship terms in Kituba." (1988): 441–454.
3. ^ Volling, B. L.; McElwain, N.L.; Miller, A.L. (2002). "Emotion Regulation in Context: The Jealousy Complex between Young Siblings and its Relations with Child and Family Characteristics". Child Development 73 (2): 581–600.
4. ^ Handbook of Cultural Psychiatry — Page 67, Wen-Shing Tseng – 2001
5. ^ van der Burghe, Pierre (1987). The Ethnic Phenomenon. p. 27.
6. ^ Olshewsky, Thomas (1969). Problems in the philosophy of language. p. 286.
7. ^ McCallum, Robyn. "Other Selves: subjectivity and the doppelganger in Australian adolescent fiction. Example of the sister in a sentence "The sisters live in the convent at Lafayette Towers." Writing the Australian child: Texts and contexts in fictions for children (1996): 17–36.
8. ^ Pincott, Jena E (March 20, 2011). "Do Brothers Stall Their Sisters' Sex Lives?". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 18 Jan 2023.
9. ^ a b Gender — Page 53, Leanne Franklin – 2012
10. ^ Play from Birth to Twelve: Contexts, Perspectives, and Meanings, Doris Bergen 2015
11. ^ Sisters and Brothers — Page 78, Judy Dunn – 1985
12. ^ The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Volume 4, Charles B. Nemeroff, 2002 p 1524
13. ^ Gender Development — Page 300, Lynn S. Liben – 2009
14. ^ Gender Development, Sheri A. Berenbaum, 2013
15. ^ Advances in Child Development and Behavior, Volume 26, p 161, 1996
16. ^ He & she: how children develop their sex role identity, Wendy Schempp Matthews – 1979 p 162
17. ^ Handbook of Adolescent Psychology, Contextual Influences on Adolescent Development, Laurence Steinberg, PhD – 2009 p 61
18. ^ Leventhal, Gerald S. "Influence of brothers and sisters on sex-role behavior." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 16.3 (1970): 452.

## External links

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* The dictionary definition of sister at Wiktionary

* v
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Family

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First-degree relatives|

* Parent
* mother
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* Child
* son
* daughter
* Sibling
* brother
* sister

Second-degree relatives|

* Grandparent
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* Uncle/Aunt
* Niece/Nephew

Third-degree relatives|

* Great-grandparent
* Great-grandchild
* Great-uncle/Great-aunt
* Cousin

Family-in-law|

* Spouse
* wife
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* Parent-in-law
* Sibling-in-law
* Child-in-law
* daughter-in-law
* son-in-law

Stepfamily|

* Stepparent
* stepfather
* stepmother
* Stepchild
* Stepsibling

Kinship terminology|

* Kinship
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Genealogy
and lineage|

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Relationships|

* Agape (parental love)
* Eros (marital love)
* Philia (brotherly love)
* Storge (familial love)
* Filial piety
* Polyfidelity

Holidays|

* Mother's Day
* U.S.
* Father's Day
* Father–Daughter Day
* Siblings Day
* National Grandparents Day
* Parents' Day
* Children's Day
* Japan
* Family Day
* Canada
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* UK
* National Adoption Day

Related|

* Single parent
* Only child
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* Sociology of the family
* Museum of Motherhood
* Astronaut family
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