B Skim the passage below quickly (about three minutes) and highlight any points that you discussed in Exercise A.
A The number of single child families is increasing all over the world. In China, this is largely still due to the one-child policy the government enforced from 1980 to 2016. Couples in urban areas were officially restricted to having one child only. In Europe, the United States and other wealthier parts of the world, the change is probably more related to people starting families later in life and a range of economic and financial considerations. As the number of smaller families grows, the debate about whether only children are disadvantaged or deprived of opportunity is fiercer than ever.
B A survey of only children (men and women aged between 18 and 45) conducted in South India brought into focus some interesting factors. With the single-child family becoming increasingly common in India, the questionnaire was aimed at exploring the situation from the perspective of a person growing up without siblings.
• 88% said that their sense of responsibility towards ageing parents weighed heavily on them.
• 96% said being the single child had forced them to make some hard choices in life.
• 88% felt smothered by excessive parental care. • 72% missed sharing life experience with a non- adult family member.
• 38% missed a sibling for practical reasons as well as for the emotional bonding.
• 80% said they felt anger, probably because they have had to internalize feelings, not wanting to upset their parents.
• 80% said they were addicted to social networking on the internet.
• 100% said they were now opposed to the concept of a single child family.
Interestingly, only children who grew up in extended or joint families in rural areas said they had never felt different from those children with siblings until they moved with their parents to cities for purposes of education and employment.
C Back in the 1800s, the father of child psychology, G. Stanley Hall, labelled being an only child a disease in itself. Since then, these children have been variously stereotyped as selfish, self-absorbed, aggressive, bossy, lonely and even maladjusted. Though hundreds of research studies have shown that only children are no different from their peers, the question of whether the single child syndrome is a myth or a reality continues to be debated the world over.
D It is generally assumed that parents lavish far more attention on an only child than they would a child with siblings. This results in the child being self- centred, dependent and lacking discipline and interpersonal skills. They lose out on being able to interact with others close to their age in the home and they miss out on daily social interactions that can help to properly socialize them. Only children often are stereotyped as spoilt, which may later hinder the success of friendships.
E Research, however, shows that only children actually become very independent and accept responsibility at an early age. They are inclined to take on more than they can manage and rarely ask for help. Trying to please parents and live up to expectations is known to weigh them down, though, in most cases, these expectations are theirs rather than imposed.
F The desire to succeed, mainly for self-fulfilment, is predominant in single children. Studies show that they are focused, preferring things to be simple and straightforward. They tend to complete one task at a time and generally prefer their lives uncluttered. A landmark 20-year study shows that increased one-on-one parenting produces higher education levels and higher achievement motivation.
G An important facet of being an only child was highlighted by women. In Asia particularly, the female only child is burdened with the responsibility of being the sole carer of ageing parents. She will often hesitate to move away from the family home and will struggle to live her own life. If she marries, she becomes part of what is known as the sandwich generation. She is needed by husband, children and in-laws on the one side, and ageing parents on the other. In Asian cultures, married women are often expected to be more committed to their in-laws than to their parents. It is common for daughters without siblings to turn inward and suffer depression.
H Current lifestyles are redefining family norms and offering fresh choices all over the world. It could be that families will continue to decrease in size, in which case, being an only child will surely lose some of the negativity currently attached to it. If, in the end, there are as many only children as there are children with siblings, their personalities and behavioural traits will be seen as equally normal.
Pathway to IELTS 6.0 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227
