ABSTRACT
Family relationships are by nature complicated, especially those between
parents and children. While much has been talked and written about the
relationship between mothers and daughters, that between fathers and daughters
has received comparatively less attention, although it is equally complex and
has as many significant consequences. It is also tempting to assume that fathering
in general is a neglected subject, but this is not altogether true. As Lewis points
out,1 a number of accounts of fathering have been written during the last few
decades, and each one similarly points out the previous paucity of work in the
field and lays claim to be filling the gap. Much of what has been written about the
father-child relationship comes from the United States.2 The focus of such literature
has tended to be the general role of fathers within the family. Where specific
relationships with sons and daughters have been considered separately, it is usually
in the context of sex-role development from a psychoanalytical, psychological or
sociological perspective. In introducing a British anthology of women talking
about their fathers in 1983, Ursula Owen3 similarly questioned why there was so
little work on fathers and daughters, and ten years later the situation has not
significantly changed. One subject concerned with the father-daughter relationship
that has, however, received attention in both the United States and Britain is the
rise in reports of incest and other kinds of child abuse. This has stimulated research,
literature and the establishment of advice agencies and helplines.
