It is true that with the enhancement of society, people tend to live independently or in a nuclear family. There are a variety of possible reasons for this trend, and it would exert impact on our society.
Two factors may contribute to this phenomenon. For one thing, people now can embrace more possibilities in life with the convenience that our modern means of transportation would offer. For example, residents in rural areas can opt to transition to city for better employment opportunities and higher standard of living by simply taking the railway trains. In contrast, in the past, people have tendency to stay at home with their families since it is not easy for them to transport to other areas. For another thing, the individualism is prevalent among people, especially among the younger generation. They prefer to focus more on their careers prospects and self-development, rather than establish family at an early age. This preference leads to the delay of marriage and the decreasing number of babies that they would have.
This trend may have negative influence on the society. To commence with, it would lead to the larger ageing population and fewer youngsters. This change has devastating effect on society since it would make the government bear a heavier financial burden as it has to allocate more funds to the healthcare and pension scheme. Another detrimental effect is the psychological issues that the teenagers may have due to the isolation and loneliness they experience when living separately from their families. They may suffer from insomnia due to the homesickness and anxiety due to the high level of pressure.
In conclusion, there are various reasons for the shrinking size of family and it would have several negative effects on the society.