These days, more and more people are going to other countries for significant periods of time, either to find a job or to study. There are clearly many benefits to doing this, but people who live abroad can also face some difficulties. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living and working in a foreign country. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

It is true that in recent years, many urban dwellers have tended to live on their own or in nuclear families. In my opinion,

this

trend has both positive and negative consequences in equal measure. On the one hand, the rise in smaller households is a positive direction primarily for economic reasons. The migration of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in an enormous increase in demand for housing. The housing stock has been inadequate to cope with

this

demand, and so property developers have taken advantage of

this

population shift to raise house prices and rents. They have built apartment blocks which provide accommodation for only single people or small families. If they do not wish to endure squalid housing conditions,

therefore

, it is clearly necessary for people to live alone or in small, usually family, groups.

On the other hand

, there are negative aspects of

this

movement. With the mass exodus of people to cities, ties of kinship are broken as the extended family, which lived together in the countryside is broken up. Socially, family gatherings take place only rarely and, financially, living costs can no longer be shared between many family members living under the same roof.

For example

, grandparents or other relatives used to help with household expenses, child-minding and cooking. Individuals rarely felt lonely or isolated, experiencing a sense of alienation as they sometimes do in cities, without

such

family support. In conclusion, I believe that

this

trend has equally significant positive and negative aspects for both social and financial reasons.