A recent study has found that fathers with daughters tend to experience higher levels of marital satisfaction compared to those with sons. Researchers analyzed the relationships of 1,694 parents who each had only one child, a girl, revealing that fathers reported stronger emotional bonds with their child’s mother, as well as increased commitment, trust, and overall relationship satisfaction.

The study indicated that fathers of daughters were viewed as more supportive partners by their spouses. Additionally, these men reported decreased anxiety and maintained stable relationship satisfaction following the birth of their daughter, in contrast to fathers of sons, who experienced declines in these areas during the postnatal period. Notably, there were no significant differences in mothers’ experiences based on the sex of their child, suggesting the effect was specifically linked to fathers.

Dr. Krystal Duarte of Rutgers University, who authored the study published in Personality and Individual Differences, suggested evolutionary factors might underlie this phenomenon. She proposed that fathers may invest more effort in their relationships when raising daughters to provide models of reliable and available male behavior, thereby potentially enhancing daughters’ prospects for stable, healthy relationships in the future. Dr. Duarte explained that daughters’ reproductive fitness is closely connected to paternal behavior, with inadequate paternal involvement often correlated with earlier puberty, higher teenage pregnancy rates, and riskier sexual behaviors.

The research also hints that fathers may feel more protective of families with only female children, motivating them to strengthen their partnerships with their spouses. However, this effect appears to be most pronounced during early childhood, as prior studies have noted that couples with teenage daughters face higher divorce rates compared to those with teenage sons.

Prominent public figures known for having all-daughter families include former U.S. President Barack Obama, whose daughters Malia and Sasha are adult women, as well as former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and actors Ryan Gosling and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.