Essay 253 – There has been a trend towards smaller family sizes

GT Writing Task 2 / Essay Sample # 253

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic:

As countries have developed there has been a trend towards smaller family sizes.

Why does this happen? How does this affect society?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Family sizes are shrinking with the development of nations all around the world. This essay will expound first on why this trend emerges, and then discuss how society is affected by it.

As nations develop, the whisper of development echoes loudly throughout every arena: education, health, politics, commerce, architecture and so forth. The states can invest heavily in education, better health care and usually allow women to take part in the wider society. To put it another way, women have education, better contraceptive care, and equal rights. This, in turn, encourages married women to enter the workforce. From empirical evidence, however, it seems that when more women enter the labour market, there is a steep decline in the birth rate. This is because women who work full time are reluctant to devote much time and effort to caring for their children. Consequently, there is a widespread use of effective contraceptives, thereby limiting fertility. This is why household sizes are getting smaller when countries become wealthier.

However, this tendency has both positive and negative implications for society. Smaller households demonstrate the ability to meet adequately the three basic necessities of life: food, clothing, and housing. In other words, smaller family size comes with its implications of good health, ability to provide adequately for the education of offspring, the proper standard of learning, and ability to realize one’s dream in life, thus benefiting society as a whole. This trend, however, also has adverse impacts upon society. The most obvious impact of the trend on society is an ageing population in first-world countries. For instance, the ageing of the population has impacted American society by placing more emphasis on dependency programmes. Both Medicaid and Medicare are being funded by the government for the elderly there.

In conclusion, smaller family size in the modern age is primarily attributed to women’s education, better contraceptive care, and gender equality facilitated by the developmental capacity of the state. However, the tendency is a double-edged sword as it exerts both positive and negative impacts on society.