THE FATHER FACTOR

Girls who have a close bond with their fathers are more resilient and less likely to feel lonely, according to new research which examines the benefits of a strong fatherdaughter relationship. As well as being more confident at school, girls who have a strong emotional attachment to their dads are better able to cope with adversity.

The researchers from Ohio State University found that a strong bond between fathers and daughters gave girls greater independence and more confidence in their relationship with friends as they began to interact more with their peers. Xin Feng, a co-author of the study, pointed out that the way a father parents is different to a mother. “In our society, mothers tend to be responsible for everyday care and stability for their children. Fathers have more freedom to interact with their children in different ways, to challenge them and have a wider range of emotional contact. That may be one reason why fathers had more impact on their daughters.”

The research correlates with a new book by Australian author Madonna King, which explores the role a father has in his daughter’s life and the relationship girls are seeking with their dads. As Madonna writes in Fathers and Daughters:

“Fathers can raise their daughters’ academic performance. They can influence hugely who they choose as a future partner. A good father-daughter relationship can do so much more than that, too. It can empower daughters to believe in themselves.”

Yet often girls feel let down by their dads, as Madonna discovered after interviewing more than 500 girls. As she writes, girls want more time with their dads and to be parented more like their brothers. “They wish their dads would turn up more to school functions, and work less,” she says. “They want their father to understand that they might have different views, and they want to be trusted more than over-protected.”

The girls also felt their dads had characteristics that were different from their mums, says Madonna. “A calm port in a storm, picking the pivotal issues, being direct and using specific language, being rational, offering alternatives, accepting his daughter for who she is... these are attributes that girls praised in their fathers.”

Most encouragingly, as she points out, it is never too late for dads to improve relations with their daughters.