Sister
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Jaclyn_Nesheiwat_with_sister.jpg/220px-Jaclyn_Nesheiwat_with_sister.jpg)
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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Little_Julia_tending_the_baby_at_home.jpg/220px-Little_Julia_tending_the_baby_at_home.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Spencer-sisters.jpg/220px-Spencer-sisters.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/SS._AA._II._As_SERmas._Princezas_D._Isabel_e_D._Leopoldina_-_Litografia_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-SS._AA._II._As_SERmas._Princezas_D._Isabel_e_D._Leopoldina_-_Litografia_%28cropped%29.jpg)
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
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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Kardashians_Sears.png/220px-Kardashians_Sears.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Kendall_%26_Kylie_Jenner_interview.png/260px-Kendall_%26_Kylie_Jenner_interview.png)
- LaVerne, Maxene, and Patricia Andrews, music duo
- 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
- Saffron Aldridge, Lily Aldridge, and Ruby Aldridge, models
- Maude Apatow and Iris Apatow, actresses and daughters of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
- Rosanna Arquette, Patricia Arquette, and Alexis Arquette, actresses
- Cassandra Austen and Jane Austen
- Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey, members of Chloe x Halle and actresses
- Estelle Bennett and Veronica Bennett, members of The Ronettes, which also included their cousin, Nedra Talley
- Nikki and Brie Bella, professional wrestlers and known as The Bella Twins
- Elizabeth Blackwell and Emily Blackwell, physicians
- Jacqueline, Caroline Bouvier, and Janet Auchincloss Rutherfurd, socialites
- Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar Braxton, members of The Braxtons
- Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë, novelists
- Barbara and Jenna Bush, daughters of George W. Bush and Laura Bush
- Liz Cheney 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
- Kaley Cuoco and Briana Cuoco, actresses
- Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne, models and actresses
- Emily Deschanel and Zooey Deschanel, actresses
- Emilie, Annette, Marie, Cecile and Yvonne Dionne, the first quintuplets to survive infancy
- Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, actresses
- Haylie Duff and Hilary Duff, actresses and singers
- Kate Barry, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Lou Doillon, actresses and daughters of Jane Birkin
- Magda Gabor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Eva Gabor, actresses and socialites
- Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish, actresses
- Sarah Moore Grimké and Angelina Grimké, activists and known as the "Grimké sisters"
- Mamie Gummer, Grace Gummer, and Louisa Jacobson, actresses and daughters of Meryl Streep
- Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, actresses
- Sara and Erin Foster
- Margot and Anne Frank, Holocaust victims
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Ashley_Mary-Kate_Olsen_2011_Shankbone_3_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Ashley_Mary-Kate_Olsen_2011_Shankbone_3_%28cropped%29.jpg)
- Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid, models
- Este Haim, Danielle Haim, and Alana Haim, members of Haim
- Kamala Harris and Maya Harris, politicians
- Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, media personalities, socialites, models, and nieces of Kim and Kyle Richards
- Anna and Emma Hyers, singers and pioneers
- 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
- Kidada Jones, Rashida Jones, and Kenya Kinski-Jones, daughters of Quincy Jones
- 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
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Sienna_and_Savannah_Miller.jpg/220px-Sienna_and_Savannah_Miller.jpg)
- Lori Lively, Robyn Lively, and Blake Lively, actresses
- Jennifer Lopez and Lynda Lopez
- Demi Lovato and Madison De La Garza
- Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, actresses
- Heather McCartney, Mary McCartney, and Stella McCartney, daughters of Paul McCartney
- Aly and AJ Michalka, actresses and members of Aly & AJ
- Kate and Pippa Middleton
- Savannah Miller and Sienna Miller
- Nancy, Diana, Jessica, and Deborah Mitford, aristocrats, writers and known as the Mitford sisters
- Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry, actresses
- Kate Moss and Lottie Moss, models
- Malia and Sasha Obama, daughters of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
- Mary-Kate, Ashley, and Elizabeth Olsen, actresses and known as "the Olsen twins"
- Vanessa Paradis and Alysson Paradis, actresses
- Anna Pierangeli and Maria Pierangeli, actresses
- Ruth Pointer, Bonnie Pointer, and Anita Pointer, members of The Pointer Sisters
- Rainey Qualley and Margaret Qualley, actresses and daughters of Andie MacDowell
- Tegan and Sara Quin, music duo
- Kim Richards and Kyle Richards, actress, socialite, television personalities, and aunts of Paris and Nicky Hilton
- Nicole Richie and Sofia Richie, media personalities and daughters of Lionel Richie
- Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson, singers and actresses
- Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge, members of the Sister Sledge
- 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
- Liv Tyler and Mia Tyler, actresses and daughters of Steven Tyler
- Lana and Lilly Wachowski, trans women filmmakers
- Venus Williams and Serena Williams, professional tennis players
- Elizabeth II and Princess Margeret, daughters of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
- Hannah, Lucy, Ruth, Sarah, Kate, and Jennifer Walton, the world's first all-female surviving sextuplets
Fictional works about sisters
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_%281825-1905%29_-_Two_Sisters_%281901%29.jpg/220px-William-Adolphe_Bouguereau_%281825-1905%29_-_Two_Sisters_%281901%29.jpg)
Films
- 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
- 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
- Hope & Faith, American sitcom
- Sisters
- What I Like About You
- Sister, Sister
Games
- Jessica & Zofia Blazkowicz, Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- Mileena & Kitana, Mortal Kombat
- Kat and Ana, WarioWare
See also
- Brother
- Religious sister
- Sisterhood (disambiguation)
- Stepsibling
References
- ^ "Definition of sister in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ Mufwene, Salikoko S. "The pragmatics of kinship terms in Kituba." (1988): 441–454.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Handbook of Cultural Psychiatry — Page 67, Wen-Shing Tseng – 2001
- ^ van der Burghe, Pierre (1987). The Ethnic Phenomenon. p. 27.
- ^ Olshewsky, Thomas (1969). Problems in the philosophy of language. p. 286.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Pincott, Jena E (March 20, 2011). "Do Brothers Stall Their Sisters' Sex Lives?". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 18 Jan 2023.
- ^ a b Gender — Page 53, Leanne Franklin – 2012
- ^ Play from Birth to Twelve: Contexts, Perspectives, and Meanings, Doris Bergen 2015
- ^ Sisters and Brothers — Page 78, Judy Dunn – 1985
- ^ The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Volume 4, Charles B. Nemeroff, 2002 p 1524
- ^ Gender Development — Page 300, Lynn S. Liben – 2009
- ^ Gender Development, Sheri A. Berenbaum, 2013
- ^ Advances in Child Development and Behavior, Volume 26, p 161, 1996
- ^ He & she: how children develop their sex role identity, Wendy Schempp Matthews – 1979 p 162
- ^ Handbook of Adolescent Psychology, Contextual Influences on Adolescent Development, Laurence Steinberg, PhD – 2009 p 61
- ^ Leventhal, Gerald S. "Influence of brothers and sisters on sex-role behavior." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 16.3 (1970): 452.
External links
The dictionary definition of sister at Wiktionary
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- Agape (parental love)
- Eros (marital love)
- Philia (brotherly love)
- Storge (familial love)
- Filial piety
- Polyfidelity