Band 6+: Today, people in many countries have to spend more and more time far away from their families. Why is this happening and what effects does it have on the people themselves and on their families?

In the contemporary era, it is widely witnessed in a number of countries around the world that quality family time is being reduced. This state of affairs can be attributed to one main factor, and this essay will suggest some viable effects they have on people and their families.

There is one major reason as to why citizens are spending less and less time with their families. A key rationale is that people want to pursue a better life. This is especially true in the case that they live in rural areas, or in developing and underdeveloped countries, where usually have low living standards. As such, in order to obtain a better life, they have to move away from homes to places that have higher standards of living to get financially viable jobs. Of course, one may argue that they can take members of their families with them to there. However, this line of reasoning is not sound since this can exacerbate their financial problems such as increasing accommodation and commute costs.

For the two reasons mentioned above, I believe that this trend can take a toll on both people and their families. Chief of these is that not only individuals who spend more time far away from their families but also their family members may feel isolated from their beloved ones, resulting in several psychological issues such as depression or even suicide in worst-case scenarios. This can be seen in many people in Japan, where Japanese people often work at an intensive level without arranging time to return to their homes to visit their parents. As a result, this country witnessed the highest level of suicide and depression among both the young and old from 2000 to 2018, according to BBC News. This is a testament to how diverting less time to being with families can have a negative effect on people and their family members.

In conclusion, getting a better life is the primary culprit behind the phenomenon that people allocate more time to staying away from their families, and this trend can exert negative influences on both people and their families, leading to depression or even suicide.