Choosing Daughters: Exploring Why Mothers Favor Adult Daughters over Sons

In: Sociological perspectives, Volume 49, Issue 2, p. 139-161

Abstract

This article uses quantitative and qualitative data from 424 mothers' relationships with 1,494 adult children to explore gender differences in mothers' choices of children as sources of support and closeness. Despite strong theoretical arguments regarding the priority of the mother– daughter tie, empirical research has not provided consistent support for this pattern. This article explores whether inconsistent findings regarding the priority of mother–daughter relationships result from the way in which intergenerational affect is generally measured. In contrast to traditional measures that ask parents to rate their closeness to each child, the measures used here ask mothers to choose among their children. This method revealed a consistent pattern of preference for daughters over sons as sources of emotional and instrumental support, primarily on the basis of shared values and gender-specific similarities.