Family resemblances in conservatism: Are daughters more similar to parents than sons are?

Family resemblances in conservatism were examined for a sample of 176 families tested in metropolitan Adelaide in 1972. Each family member's score on the Wilson and Patterson Conservatism Scale was compared with the scores of other members of his or her family. Using this within‐family analysis it was found, as predicted, that there were family resemblances in conservatism and that sons were less similar to their parents in conservatism than were daughters. There was no evidence to support same‐sex modeling. Results also suggested that the similarity of daughters to fathers was reduced in lower SES families. Parents were more conservative than their children and females were more conservative than males. Results were discussed in relation to developmental influences and to the literature on sex differences.