: In many countries today, people in cities either live alone or in small family units, rather than in large, extended family groups. Is this a positive or negative trend?

In modern society nowadays, city dwellers tend to have the option of living desolated or focus on a nuclear family instead of living in a big family with multiple generations. This preference would create certain benefits but there will also be some drawbacks.

On the one hand, living companionless or in a small unit would create several advantages. One evident strength is that children in a nuclear family tend to be more independent as they have to take care of themselves and their siblings when their parents are occupied with work. In other words, as the number of people is smaller in a nuclear family, there is a possibility of reduced conflicts and misunderstandings. Another reason is that living in a small unit can be more comfortable since people have their own space and privacy, especially for teenagers. According to a research in Standford University, the proportion of teenager wants to have their own space is 85%, bigger than that of adult, just 30%.

On the other hand, there are some obvious disadvantages that would arise. Firstly, without the help of other family members, working parents must rely on babysitters or afterschool clubs to take care of young children, thus, raising the cost of child care. Secondly, the absence of adult family members can mean that television and the internet might become the primary influences on children’s behavior. In particular, it can have an adverse consequences on the study at school. Finally, the elderly living alone might suffer from loneliness and difficulties in doing daily tasks since they are physically weak. For example, senior citizens often suffer from many diseases such as heart attack or diabetes so they can’t pay for the medicine or food. Therefore, they really need to depend on their children’s finances.

To sum up, there are plus points to nuclear family or living companion less regards to children can be independent, more space and privacy, fewer conflicts or misunderstanding. However, the downside would emerge consequently in terms of increasing cost of child care, having bad influences on behavior and study of children and the old people have to face many difficulties.