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In many countries, people in big cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?
Around the world, there is a tendency among people in metropolitan areas to either live independently or in nuclear families, rather than in multigenerational families. In my opinion, this trend has both benefits and drawbacks for a variety of reasons.
It is evident that living in smaller family size has a number of upsides. First of all, living alone or in small family units can help people manage their household finances better. Nowadays, there is no doubt that the costs for bringing up a family in big cities are skyrocketing, placing a great burden on working mothers and fathers. Therefore, moving towards a smaller family size or living alone is a good choice to cut down on the household costs and save money for emergencies and other purposes. Secondly, by living in a nuclear family, people can avoid family conflicts that arise due to the generation gap. It is evident that different generations in the family may have different perspectives about life. For example, while the elderly are usually conservative and want to preserve traditional values, the young are often eager to break the norms and accept new trends. These differences can easily lead to family discords, deteriorating the good relationship between family members.
However, reducing the family size may have some detrimental impacts on the society. These days, child mortality rate is rising, putting many countries at the risk of an aging population. As more elderly people are retired, greater pressure is put on the medical healthcare and caring services. In addition, less labor can result in a shrinking workforce, posing threats to the development of a country’s economy. More importantly, smaller family size may cause some difficulties in looking after children. This forces parents to seek the help from babysitters or send their children to school all day, increasing the costs for child-rearing.
To conclude, living independently or in smaller family units have both advantages and disadvantages. Although it can save money and prevent family conflicts, this trend may lead an aging population and cause difficulties in bringing up children.