# Sister

A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. 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. A full sister is a first-degree relative.

## Overview

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. 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. In some quarters, the term sister has gradually broadened its colloquial meaning to include individuals stipulating kinship. In response, in order to avoid equivocation, some publishers prefer the usage of female sibling over sister. 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. 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.

## 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. Older sisters are more likely to play with their younger siblings. Younger siblings display more needy behavior when near their older sister and are more likely to be tolerant of an older sister's bad behavior. 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. 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. Boys with older sisters were less likely to be delinquent or have emotional and behavioral disorders. A younger sister is less likely to be scolded by older siblings than a younger brother. The most common recreational activity between older brother/younger sister pairs is art drawing. Some studies also found a correlation between having an older sister and constructive discussions about safe sexual practices. Some studies have shown that men without sisters are more likely to be ineffectual at courtship and romantic relationships.

## Famous sisters

* LaVerne, Maxene, and Patricia Andrews, singing group
* Anna, Louisa, Elizabeth, and Abigail Alcott, daughters of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abby May
* Saffron, Lily, and Ruby Aldridge, models
* Natalie, Emily, and Alyvia Alyn Lind, actresses and daughters of Barbara Alyn Woods
* Maude Apatow and Iris Apatow, actresses and daughters of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann
* Rosanna, Patricia, and Alexis Arquette, actresses
* Cassandra Austen, watercolourist and Jane Austen, novelist
* Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey, singers, actresses, and members of Chloe x Halle
* Nikki Bella and Brie Bella, professional wrestlers and television personalities
* Estelle Bennett and Ronnie Spector, members of The Ronettes, which included their cousin, Nedra Talley
* Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, novelists and poets
* Barbara and Jenna Bush, daughters of George W. Bush and Laura Bush
* Liz Cheney and Mary Cheney, daughters of Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney
* Joan Collins and Jackie Collins, actresses and authors
* 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
* Dixie D'Amelio and Charli D'Amelio, social media personalities
* Poppy Delevingne and Cara Delevingne, models and actresses
* Nicola and Gabriella DeMartino, YouTubers, internet personalities, and singers
* Emily Deschanel and Zooey Deschanel, actresses
* Madelyn and Zoey Deutch, actresses and daughters of Howard Deutch and Lea Thompson
* Emilie, Annette, Marie, Cecile and Yvonne Dionne, the first quintuplets to survive infancy
* Haylie Duff and Hilary Duff, actresses and singers
* Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, daughters of George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
* Abby Elliott and Bridey Elliott, actresses, comedians, daughters of Chris Elliott, and granddaughters of Bob Elliott
* Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, actresses
* Mamie, Grace, and Louisa Gummer, actresses and daughters of Meryl Streep
* Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid, models
* Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim, musicians and members of Haim
* Kamala Harris, politician and Maya Harris, lawyer
* Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton, socialites, models, daughters of Kathy Hilton, and nieces of Kim and Kyle Richards
* Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet Jackson, singers and sisters of The Jackson 5
* 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
* Nicole Kidman and Antonia Kidman, daughters of Antony Kidman
* Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, singers and actresses
* Lisa Ling and Laura Ling, journalists
* Lori, Robyn, and Blake Lively, actresses
* Mary I of England and Elizabeth I, daughters of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
* Lisa and Lena Mantler, social media personalities
* Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, actresses
* Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight, YouTubers and social media personalities
* Veronica and Vanessa Merrell, YouTubers, actresses, producers, musicians, singers, and songwriters
* Aly Michalka and AJ Michalka, singers, actresses, and members of Aly & AJ
* Kate and Pippa Middleton, socialites
* Savannah Miller, fashion designer and Sienna Miller, actress
* Kylie Minogue and Dannii Minogue, singers and actresses
* Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry, actresses
* Tricia and Julie Nixon, daughters of Richard Nixon and Pat Nixon
* 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
* Rain Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix, actresses
* Tegan and Sara Quin, music duo
* Kim Richards, Kyle Richards, and Kathy Hilton, actresses, socialites, and television personalities
* Nicole Richie and Sofia Richie, daughters of Lionel Richie
* Rose Schlossberg and Tatiana Schlossberg, daughters of Edwin Schlossberg and Caroline Kennedy and granddaughters of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy
* Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson, singers and actresses
* Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears, singers and actresses
* 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
* Maddie Ziegler and Mackenzie Ziegler, dancers and actresses

## Fictional works about sisters
### Films

* What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
* Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
* The Parent Trap (1998)
* The Virgin Suicides (1999)
* Hanging Up (2000)
* Frozen (2013)
* Frozen 2 (2019)
* 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
* The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
* Teen Titans by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, DC Comics superhero team which includes alien princess superhero Starfire and one of the supervillains was her older sister Blackfire

### Television

* Breaking Bad (Skyler White and Marie Schrader)
* Hope & Faith
* Sisters
* What I Like About You
* Charmed
* Sister, Sister
* Little Women
* The Powerpuff Girls
* Teen Titans (Blackfire and Starfire)

### Games

* Mileena & Kitana, Mortal Kombat
* Kat and Ana, WarioWare