All over the world, there is a tendency for people in big cities to live either independently or in nuclear families, rather than in multigenerational families. In my opinion, this trend has both advantages and disadvantages for a number of reasons.
Clearly, living in smaller families has a number of advantages. First of all, living alone or in small family units can help people better manage their household finances. There is no doubt that the cost of raising a family in big cities skyrockets and is a huge burden for working moms and dads. Therefore, starting a smaller family or living alone is a good decision to reduce household expenses and save money for emergencies and other purposes. Secondly, people who live in a nuclear family can avoid family conflicts caused by the gap between generations. Clearly, different generations in the family may have different perspectives on life. While older people are usually conservative and want to preserve traditional values, young people are often eager to break the norms and accept new trends. These differences can easily cause disagreements in the family and affect the good relationships between family members.
However, a reduction in the size of the family can also have a detrimental effect on society. Nowadays, the infant mortality rate is increasing, so many countries are at risk of an aging population. As more older people retire, pressure on medical care and long-term care services increases. In addition, less work can lead to a shrinking labor force, which poses a threat to a country’s economic development. More importantly, smaller family size can lead to difficulties in caring for children. This forces parents to hire babysitters or send their children to school full-time, which increases the cost of raising children.
In summary, living independently or in smaller family units has both advantages and disadvantages. Although it can save money and avoid family conflict, this trend can lead to an aging population and difficulties in raising children.