The Work You’ve Always Done, the Credit You’ve Never Gotten, and How to Finally Feel Like Enough
Allison M. Alford, PhD
Jan 21, 2026
Hardcover
Family & Relationships / Parenting / Parent & Adult Child / Self-Help / Personal Growth / Social Science / Women's Studies
Psychology / Developmental / Adulthood & Aging
Psychology / Developmental / Adulthood & Aging
A transformative look at the hidden work of all adult daughters who share the invisible load, from the eldest to the youngest, offering a fresh perspective on care, emotional resilience, and the power daughters have to shape healthier, more fulfilling family connections. For readers of both Susan Cain’s Quiet and Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play.
Daughters grow up believing their role in the family is simple: love your parents, help out when you can, and carry on the traditions that bind families together. But adulthood reveals a more complicated reality—one where women take on the invisible labor of emotional support, crisis management, and unspoken expectations that leave them feeling stretched thin and unseen.
So, what is “daughtering”? It’s the unpaid, invisible work women do to hold a family together—checking in, stepping up, and smoothing over—without ever considering its cost. In Good Daughtering, Dr. Allison M. Alford—a leading researcher in family communication—unpacks the untold story of adult daughters and the quiet, essential work they do. Drawing on years of groundbreaking research and personal interviews, she explores how societal expectations, gender roles, and generational dynamics shape the experiences of daughters in ways that are often misunderstood or overlooked.
Daughters grow up believing their role in the family is simple: love your parents, help out when you can, and carry on the traditions that bind families together. But adulthood reveals a more complicated reality—one where women take on the invisible labor of emotional support, crisis management, and unspoken expectations that leave them feeling stretched thin and unseen.
So, what is “daughtering”? It’s the unpaid, invisible work women do to hold a family together—checking in, stepping up, and smoothing over—without ever considering its cost. In Good Daughtering, Dr. Allison M. Alford—a leading researcher in family communication—unpacks the untold story of adult daughters and the quiet, essential work they do. Drawing on years of groundbreaking research and personal interviews, she explores how societal expectations, gender roles, and generational dynamics shape the experiences of daughters in ways that are often misunderstood or overlooked.
