Don't throw away your daughters

Notes from the artist
Don’t Throw Away Your Daughters asks us why we continue to value sons over daughters.  There’s a widespread belief in many parts of the world that sons are more desirable because they carry on a family’s name and bloodline.  Daughters, by contrast, are considered guests; it is assumed that they will marry and then assimilate into their husband’s family.  I remember hearing topics like this discussed around the dinner table as a little girl.  In fact, one of the few memories I have of my grandfather is him asking my mother why she was spending so much money on my education.  “She’s only going to run off to get married when she turns eighteen.”

Like the most traditional Chinese families in the 1940s, my grandmother, after giving birth to a number of daughters, continued having children until my uncles were finally born.  Yet, for as long as I can remember, my grandparents have always lived with their daughters.  Even after my grandfather’s passing, my grandmother continues to be cared for by my aunts.

This series documents my grandmother’s daily interaction with her children during the twilight years of her life. It is as much of an homage to the women of my family as it is a critique of the patriarchy. Why is it that we continue to put so much emphasis and importance on having male heirs? Are daughters somehow less than? Over time, I’ve watched the prized sons of our family grow more and more distant, while we daughters remain close. These pictures ask why we continue to prefer sons, and more urgently, implore us all to please, Don’t Throw Away Your Daughters.