‘Wealth and individualism are positively correlated at both the individual and the national level.’ (Yuji Ogihara) I met with a group of young students in Germany this week to compare and contrast social trends with the UK. We focused initially on the ways in which our respective households have changed, for example, in terms of size and structure. In the 1950s, for instance, households in Germany and the UK were typically larger and multigenerational. Today, in these and other European countries, households are smaller with a significant rise in the proportion of people who live alone. I invited the students to reflect on what might lay behind these changes and I was astonished by the sophistication of the conversation that flowed between them – a testimony to the Montessori school’s teachers and distinctive pedagogical approach. I suggested that, based on what I have learned in Asia and Africa, household size is often influenced by relative poverty and wealth. It’s as if the more money we have, the less we need to depend on each other: at least financially. Rudo Kwaramba explains: ‘In wealthy countries, if you can’t earn an income or if you lose your job, your government provides you with financial support; if you become injured or unwell, your health system or insurance covers you. In poorer countries, people can only look to each other for this support.’ This interdependency phenomenon is a deep cultural driver behind building and sustaining close relationships within extended families, and between families and wider communities. Broader cultural considerations apart, as the wealthy get richer, not only do we tend to become more individual-orientated but our quality-of life-expectations grow too. Many people in affluent societies now believe they can’t afford to have children because they have to work so hard to earn enough money to gain or sustain the lifestyle they aspire to. As a consequence, we face a ticking time bomb of rapidly-ageing populations with fewer young people to support and replace them. It's time for a rethink.
14 Comments
Tan Mei Ling
26/10/2024 06:18:07 am
Thank you for your article, Nick. You are correct in your thought about cultural consideration. In Asia we have big families. We live together and take care each other including our parents and grandparents when old. Also our nephews and nieces when young. It cheaper to share one big house. More money to buy food and clothes and shopping other thing. Thank you.
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 07:29:15 am
Thank you, Mei Ling. Yes, I remember the first time a close Filipina friend visited the UK. She was very surprised that adult members of my own family live in separate homes. She was also deeply shocked that we, as wealthy societies, put elderly people into care and nursing homes. Independence comes at at an economic and social cost. An Indian colleague commented: 'Living in extended family homes has its tensions at times, but the mutual support network it provides is well worth it.'
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Henry Brown
26/10/2024 06:20:46 am
Great insight from Rudo Kwaramba. Thanks for sharing it!
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 07:31:37 am
Thanks Henry. Yes, I worked alongside Rudo (a great Zimbabwean colleague) in World Vision UK and World Vision Uganda. She's an insightful and inspirational leader!
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Niklas Fischer
26/10/2024 07:14:05 am
This ticking time bomb is why EU leaders allow very high levels of immigration. They say they are against immigration or will control immigration because they are worried about the extreme right. It's the same in the UK I think. However, their actions tell a different story. They always allow immigration because they believe our countries need it. Interesting article. Thanks Nick.
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 07:35:14 am
Hi Niklas. Yes, it's one way of making sense of the apparent dissonance between European governments' rhetoric on immigration and what they do in practice. Andrew Murray makes some insightful comments on the drivers and potential projected consequences of large-scale immigration into European countries in his book, 'The Strange Death of Europe'.
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Chloé Dubois
26/10/2024 07:22:40 am
Hello Nic. In France, women are free now to do career not only must have children. More independent financial so don't need marriage for it. Also contraception and abortion right. Women are free to make choices. Better now for women I think. Maybe live alone but it's OK. More special time with friends.
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 07:38:35 am
Thanks Chloé. I think that's a helpful explanation of some of the social-political shifts that may lay behind declining birth rates and the growth in numbers of people living alone.
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Madison Parker
26/10/2024 07:51:43 am
Hey Nick. Thanks for posting! In the US, people move away from home to find work when things become hard economically or when better work opportunities open up somewhere else. In richer countries, people are no longer tied to the extended family or the land. New technologies allow them to work from anywhere. In poorer countries, people leave home to find work to support their families. That's why so many are trying to get into the US from poor and unstable countries in Latin America. We need immigration but many don't like it. That's why it's such a big election topic between Trump and Harris.
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 12:07:48 pm
Hi Madison. Thank you for sharing those helpful insights from the US. I think there are similar dynamics at play in Europe. The ability to work from different locations has certainly been accelerated by advances in technology, shifts from manufacturing to services - and Covid19 which demonstrated that so much work is possible online.
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Emma Jørgensen
26/10/2024 12:18:07 pm
I agree with Mary Heath that population decline is a good thing for the world. We are "using nature 1.7 times faster than our planet’s ecosystems can regenerate". This has to stop.
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Nick Wright
26/10/2024 01:20:07 pm
Hi Emma and thank you for sharing links to such interesting and thought-provoking articles. I do believe that strategy and policy conversations and decisions about demographics at local, national and international level need to be far more holistic and inclusive than simplistic, binary debates between rich countries about 'growth', 'productivity' and economics.
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Lilla
26/10/2024 07:55:36 pm
Thank you Nick, great blog!! In today’s world, technology—especially the internet—has brought significant social changes, often reshaping relationships and how individuals connect with one another. Studies show that technology-driven lifestyles are creating an emotional and social gap, particularly between men and women, as in-person interactions decline. This shift contributes to people becoming more emotionally detached and self-focused, impacting traditional social values, including the significance placed on family.
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Nick Wright
27/10/2024 07:16:45 am
Thank you, Lilla - and for posting such thoughtful and detailed reflections on the relationship between technology and human relationships, including some of the potential and actual impacts on people and relationships. Lots of food for further thought!
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Nick WrightI'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? Get in touch! Like what you read? Simply enter your email address below to receive regular blog updates!
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