Cultural Differences Assignment, Essay Example

If a woman chooses not to have children is there an exemplary culture difference that should be examined? There are many factors that play a role in this choice but the one role I will examine is the comparison of an American versus an Indian woman (from India) and other third world countries with relation to this choice of having or not having children.  Women have a natural tendency to want to bear children and to want to nurture a family. This is an innate tendency that is behavioural and culturally bred in us through our parents. In American society our view may be somewhat less liberal because women are given the right and free will to choose careers, motherhood, families or neither of the above. It is considered socially acceptable in American society to have a family or not to have a family. Women had to fight for the right to vote years ago and the right to suffrage and have come a long way to gain equal rights in America. With that in mind, many have chose high paid careers as attorneys, doctors, company CEO’s and many have also chosen not to be mothers because it would interfere with rising to the top of their career choices. Often with career businesses consider having children a hindrance on a woman’s career because often women are forced to be single mothers and have to leave the job to take care of children and this impinges their work efforts. I have seen situations where women are overlooked for promotions in high profile jobs because the other partner did not have children and could devote more time to the job. Yes this is discrimination but unfortunately this is how the world works.

On the flip side, women in foreign countries, such as India and other third world countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Turkey grow up in traditional families where the family unit is still in tact the wife is the head of the household and the most important caretaker of the family. The wife is not expected to work or if they work the work of the wife is considered secondary to the husband. The rearing of children is the most important job a wife can do to carry on the legacy of the family name. It is especially important to rear male children to carry on the legacy of the family name. The daughters go off and marry into nice families. There is no such thing as women having a choice not to have children because it is their duty to stay home and raise the family. That is their expectation as a wife and they know that when they are born. That is the traditional role of a female and it is accepted. When a foreigner comes to America situations are more relaxed but even though American foreigners even tend to have children because they bring with them some traditions through their mother and father. It is very rarely that that you would see a foreign female not having any children unless there is a medical condition preventing such child bearing. Culture certainly influences all aspects of having and raising a family and the importance of these differences. I feel that culture also influence the marriage and divorce rate and how a family is held together.

Culture is a learned behaviour from living it day to day. Our cultural beliefs are influenced from our parents’ habits and other members of our family and society as a whole. People make decisions based on how other significant people in their life make decisions and they are further influenced by society as a whole. Culture has both positive and negative impact on us as a whole. Raising children are not in store for everyone but as a whole everyone should consider having a family because when we get old it would be very nice to have someone to look after us and love us.