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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.
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]
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 more needy behavior when near their older sister [11] and are more likely to be tolerant of an older sister's bad behavior. [12] Boys with only one 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]
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known for writing the novel Little Women (1868) and its sequels Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871), and Jo's Boys (1886). Raised in New England by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott, she grew up among many well-known intellectuals of the day, including Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau. Encouraged by her family, Louisa began writing from an early age.
Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott, originally published in two volumes, in 1868 and 1869. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters, it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel.
Kate Elizabeth Robbins is an English actress, singer, and songwriter. She came to prominence in the early 1980s when she scored a top ten single on the UK Official Charts with "More Than in Love", while she was appearing in the television soap opera Crossroads. She went on to become a prolific voice actress, most notably for nine years with the satirical show Spitting Image.
Abigail May Alcott Nieriker was an American artist and the youngest sister of Louisa May Alcott. She was the basis for the character Amy in her sister's semi-autobiographical novel Little Women (1868). She was named after her mother, Abigail May, and first called Abba, then Abby, and finally May, which she asked to be called in November 1863 when in her twenties.
Alexis Arquette was an American actress and transgender activist.
Kacey Louisa Barnfield, also credited as Kacey Clarke, is an English actress. As a teenager she played Maddie Gilks in the long running British television series Grange Hill, on which she was in six series. As an adult, her roles have included Crystal in the American action film Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Katie Sutherland in British comedy The Inbetweeners. In 2014, Clarke was listed as number 99 in FHM's 100 sexiest women in the world.
An Old-Fashioned Girl is a novel by Louisa May Alcott first published in 1869, which follows the adventures of Polly Milton, a young country girl, who is visiting her wealthy city friends, the Shaws. The novel shows how Polly remains true to herself despite the pressure the Shaws' world puts on her shoulders.
Orchard House is a historic house museum in Concord, Massachusetts, United States, opened to the public on May 27, 1912. It was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) and his family, including his daughter Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), who wrote and set her novel Little Women (1868–69) there.
Frederica is a Regency romance novel by Georgette Heyer. The story is set in 1818. The plot is typical of several later Heyer romances in counterpointing the courtships of an older and a younger couple, with variation provided by the antics of Frederica's younger brothers and their boisterous mongrel.
Work: A Story of Experience, originally serialized and first published in book form in 1873, is a semi-autobiographical novel by Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women. It is set in the times before and after the American Civil War. The protagonist, Christie Devon, leaves her home to make a living on her own. She goes from job to job, eventually marries, and becomes a social activist when her husband dies. Alcott wrote the book over the course of several years and based it in part on her own experiences as a young woman in the workforce. Following publication, contemporary critical reviews were mixed, with some reviewers praising the plot's execution and others criticizing it. The novel's themes include women's participation in the workforce, domesticity and equality, personal independence, social reform, and mental health.
Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney was an American writer, reformer, and philanthropist.
Hospital Sketches (1863) is a compilation of four sketches based on letters Louisa May Alcott sent home during the six weeks she spent as a volunteer nurse for the Union Army during the American Civil War in Georgetown.
Sam Brody Jenner is an American television personality, business owner and DJ from Malibu, California. He is known for his appearances in reality television series such as The Princes of Malibu, The Hills, Bromance, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Messrs. Roberts Brothers (1857–1898) were bookbinders and publishers in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1857 by Austin J. Roberts, John F. Roberts, and Lewis A. Roberts, the firm began publishing around the early 1860s. American authors included: Louisa May Alcott, Susan Coolidge, Emily Dickinson, Maud Howe Elliott, Louise Imogen Guiney, Julia Ward Howe, Helen Hunt Jackson, Abigail May Alcott Nieriker. British and European authors included: Berthold Auerbach, Caroline Bauer, Mathilde Blind, Juliana Horatia Ewing, Anne Gilchrist, David Gray, Philip Gilbert Hamerton, Jean Ingelow, Vernon Lee, William Morris, Silvio Pellico, Adelaide Ristori, A. Mary F. Robinson, George Sand, Charlotte Mary Yonge, Helen Zimmern.
Brandon Jenner is an American singer-songwriter and television personality from Malibu, California. He is known for his appearances in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Princes of Malibu, and The Hills: New Beginnings.
Brandi Cyrus is an American actress and DJ. She was the co-host Cyrus vs. Cyrus: Design and Conquer on Bravo and is a co-host of the Your Favorite Thing podcast.
Iris Apatow is an American actress. She portrayed Arya Hopkins in the Netflix series Love and Krystal Kris in the 2022 Netflix film The Bubble.
Harriet Roosevelt Richards was an American illustrator, best known for her work in children's books and magazines.