IELTS Writing task 2

In some countries, the difference in age between parents and children is generally greater than it was in the past. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?

The more developed the world becomes, the more educated and busy people will be so they delay starting a family. And when they do this, parents and children will have larger gaps in age than families did in the past. I believe that this trend would exert more beneficial effects on the families as well as the society.

On the one hand, a greater difference in age may give rise to undesirable consequences in terms of a larger generation gap and heavier burdens for parents as they get older. The generation gap often brings on misunderstandings and conflicts between children and their parents. For instance, many members of Generation Z in Vietnam are fond of getting tattoos or dyeing colorful hair to express their characters. However, those behaviors would have been considered as signs of bad and disobedient kids in their grandparent's generations. Another drawback of waiting until one is older to have children is that elderly parents could have to care for their children till retirement age when they are supposed to be taking a break from parenting roles.

On the other hand, there are considerable advantages offered by this practice when it comes to better preparation for family members and a more educated society. When people decide to have children at an older age, they will have stronger mental and financial support that are necessary to raise a family. Take Korean citizens as an example, they often choose to pursue higher education and start their careers before thinking of having and raising a child, which helps not only parents to be more mature and financially prepared but also their children to experience higher living standards. Most importantly, when more and more families have better preparation for future generations like that, the quality of life of the whole country can be significantly improved.

In conclusion, despite the underlying difficulties that the increased difference in age among parents and children may lead to, its positive effects clearly surpass any negatives.

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