Essay Sample on Difference Between Chinese and Americas Culture

Culture is termed as the way of life among a person or groups' life which includes their values, behavior, symbols, and beliefs. The culture of people tends to differ from one region or country to the next. The beliefs, values, ideas, and meanings which people learn from a specific society determine their nature. The cultural differences manifest in particular ways as people possess different beliefs, values, and social structure. The Chinese and Americas culture vary depending on their social structure, business relations, morals, time sensitivities, multiculturalism, and the forms of government. Due to the diverse cultures in different societies, this paper will compare the social organization between the Chinese and Americas culture.

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In China, the family is the pinnacle of the community, and it follows a hierarchical order as the man being the family head. Men in the family have the responsibility of providing to their families and have the authority and final say in the family's affairs. Religion influences the roles among the members of society in Chinese. The Chinese acquired the communal and the social behavior through Confucianism, and it affected the family structure in choosing a partner to the children (Hu & Scott, 2016). In the current society of China, the man does not enjoy the full control of his family since children are free to choose their careers, but they have to request guidance from their elders.

According to Hu & Scott (2016), the father in Chinese families has to educate his children until they reach the marriage stage after getting married; the kids move to their homes. In the past, women had to be obedient to their elder brothers, fathers, sons whenever they were widowed and their husband. Having a boy child in the Chinese family is seen as an achievement since they were to inherit their fathers' property whenever he was deceased. Traditionally, family members were peasant farmers since the land was the only fundamental kind of property.

On the other hand, the Americans family consist of a nuclear family and an extended family who live separately. The American family consists of s small unit who primarily move from time to time due to economic reasons. The significant value in these families is the individual relationship which the family members share among them. The elderly in society tend to live alone since they do not want a burden from the young generation. Parents among the American families advise their children to live their homes once they complete high school, and the ones who let their grown teenagers stay with them are recognized as enablers. The American parents discipline their kids, balancing their support with control (Widmer, 2016). Therefore, parents in the American culture have the responsibility of advising, educating, disciplining, and controlling their kids from getting involved in bad company. According to Schwartz & Scott (2017), the duties and responsibilities of men and women in families are equal since their contribution to the families is dynamic. The women in America choose to raise their children rather than working full-time.

Therefore, the families and roles of the family members vary significantly in China and America due to the difference in their culture. Despite the difference in the two cultures, both men and women respect and support each other in their daily activities. People who wish to settle in these cultures have to adapt and adopt the values and beliefs which the societal member portray. Thus, it is vital to teaching the children and students the diverse cultures so that they can know the behavior to portray in these settings.

References

Hu, Y., & Scott, J. (2016). Family and gender values in China: Generational, geographic, and gender differences. Journal of Family Issues, 37(9), 1267-1293. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/28d0/81298ce2c42476e926ca1ec5d5ba19eb54a2.pdf

Schwartz, M. A., & Scott, B. (2017). Marriages and families: Diversity and change. Pearson. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00239.x

Widmer, E. D., (2016). Family configurations: A structural approach to family diversity. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315581903