Let's try out a test. Fill in the blanks for the following 2 words...
S __ X
__ AK __ D
Take a moment. What were your answers? We will reveal the purpose of this test later in the article.
A father's presence
A new study finds that girls are more promiscuous sexually when they have a father missing from their lives. Dads can be there physically but emotionally absent. How involved are you in your child’s life, dad? Read on to understand how important the father-daughter relationship is.
Based on research done by Texas Christian University, 64 female students were quizzed about their relationship with their dads, then they were asked a number of questions that were sex-related. Questions included the use of protection like a condom and the frequency of use.
Learn about the three phases of a father-daughter relationship
Surprising results?
Is the father-daughter relationship really that essential? From the response, it was revealed that girls who had a non-existent father figure in their lives or had an unsound connection with their dads were more likely to have lost their virginity at an earlier age. These daughters also engaged in riskier sex behaviours.
Apparently these findings support an already ‘abundance of research’ that shows the same phenomena, according to Danielle DelPriore who is the lead author of the study.
What has sex got to do with the father-daughter relationship?
Delving slightly deeper into the details of the study, you might want to know: How were the girls quizzed? What kinds of questions were they asked? How deep was the insight of their father-daughter relationship?
The group of participants was split down the middle and each group was given a writing assignment.
1. Write down a time in which your biological dad was not present for a significant and important time in your life.
2. Write about a time when your dad was physically and psychologically available and present for you.
Right after the writing test, the women were given word stem tests to get an idea of their “activation of sexual concepts”. They had to fill in the blanks of 14 series of letters that were not complete like: S __ X and __ AK __ D.
Yet another group was given statements that denote sexual behaviours and permissiveness and then asked to rate the degree in which they agree or disagree -- based on a scale of one to nine. Here are some example statements:
“Sex without love is OK, "For me, having sex with someone does not necessarily imply that I am committed to that individual", "I dislike using condoms due to reduced sexual pleasure."
The impact fathers have on their daughters
Father-daughter relationship results
Girls who believed that their dads were a disappointment and were barely there displayed more promiscuity and sexual permissiveness in the rating of the statements. These girls also tend to think in a more sexualized manner when filling in the blanks with SEX for S __ X (it could be SIX) and NAKED for __ AK __ D (it could be BAKED).
DelPriore and her team shared that the “results provide the first true experimental evidence supporting a causal relationship between paternal disengagement and changes in women’s psychology that promote risky sexual behavior.”
The absence of a strong father figure inadvertently shows the daughter that investing in a male for the long run is not ideal, as they are unreliable and to a certain extent even unnecessary. Now, that's the link in a father-daughter relationship.
Dads for life in Singapore
Dads, be a part of your kids life—they will grow up to be better adults because of you. In fact, you can be more involved in the community as well. What is Dads for Life?
Based on their site: “DadsforLife.sg serves as a focal point for all activities of the national Dads for Life movement to inspire and involve all Dads to play a more active role in their children’s lives for life. It seeks to enable fathers in Singapore and Singaporean fathers around the world to communicate with and support one another in their growth as Dads.”
Go ahead, be a bigger part of your child's life today. It is especially important to build on that father-daughter relationship--late is better than never. Start today.
