Over the years, western communities have profoundly advocated in favor of nuclear family system, whereas the eastern communities have primarily supported the idea of extended family system.
Most people living in a nuclear family setup consider freedom as the greatest advantage of living independently. With no interference from their peers, it is more convenient for them to take important decisions of life, all by themselves. Therefore, the people who do not appreciate restrictions or compromises often prefer living in these sort of arrangements. Moreover, this trend is now gaining popularity in Asian countries as well, especially among the working couples who expect a much more comfortable atmosphere back at home. After working relentlessly for hours, the only thing that an individual need’s is a bit of personal space and solitude. Hence, the motivation of living independently seems to be driven by the idea of freedom.
On the other hand, the benefit of monetary support, in terms of running the household on cumulative contributions from all earning members of the family, is undeniably a blessing in disguise. Nonetheless, contributing in accordance to individual economic capacity reduces the responsibilities of individual members of the family. Similarly, if a person in the family experiences a situation of financial crisis, he could rely on other members of family to share his burdens, preventing him from becoming overburdened. Therefore, the people in Pakistan, especially the ones with limited earnings tend to live in an extended family arrangement to better accommodate their needs.
To conclude, although both ways of living have their own distinct advantages, I personally prefer living with an extended family because I’ve been living in a similar sort of arrangement, since my childhood. Ever since, I have relished each and every single day of living with my peers. Nevertheless, people will always have a certain preference when it comes to choosing either the extended or nuclear family systems.