Culture is a unique set of patterns, institutions, norms, and beliefs that allows each person to navigate society, live, work and achieve their goals. Each culture develops its unique vision of life, which is no better or worse than other cultures. However, it is easier for different people to fit in and live in different cultures on an individual level, so many people migrate in search of a more suitable cultural environment to live in. All cultures have their comparative advantages in one way or another, even if there are no absolute advantages.
Thus, the comparative advantages of living in different cultures can differ for different people. On the other hand, we can still highlight some common human values and goals by comparing the benefits of different cultures. For example, fewer barriers for working women in American culture can be observed in contrast to the levels of gender equality in Chinese culture. Chinese feminists note that women who do not marry early are often humiliated, bullied, and forced to choose a family (Ji et al. 776). In addition, the wage gap is significant in China, as women are most often pushed into low-paid jobs (Ji et al. 772). Much of this happens because American culture has many decades of feminist culture that has made significant strides for women.
Speaking about the benefits of Chinese culture, we can note their attitude towards aging and older age. While North American culture is characterized by intense and visible ageism, a culture of youth, and shaming of old age, in Chinese culture, people are equally respectful of all ages, especially the elderly (Schloegel et al. 331). With age, women and men are not forced to mock their bodies with cosmetology and plastic surgery and are not ashamed of every gray hair and wrinkle (Schloegel et al. 325). Chinese people focus more on health and longevity, which does not demoralize people and makes them look to the future with optimism.
The labor market has different advantages for various types of workers in China and North America. The Chinese economy is still growing relatively fast, so the demand for labor is great, and the range of required professions is also expanding (Xiong et al. 1). The advantage of the Chinese labor market is that it is not as challenging to find a job as in America, especially if you have higher education (Xiong et al. 3). Nevertheless, workers with the highest qualification and intellectual labor are more needed in America. They migrate to America, attracted by high salaries and living standards.
Comparing North American and Chinese cultures, one can find advantages and disadvantages of living in both cultures. Chinese culture provides many employment opportunities in a wide variety of fields, as China has a highly diversified and growing economy. Meanwhile, gendered labor market conditions and gendered social norms are more liberal in American culture. In the end, each person chooses what is important to them and what disadvantages they can neglect.
Works Cited
Ji, Yingchun, et al. “Unequal care, unequal work: Toward a more comprehensive understanding of gender inequality in post-reform urban China.” Sex Roles, vol. 77, no. 11, 2017: 765-778.
Schloegel, Uta, et al. “Age stereotypes in distributed software development: The impact of culture on age-related performance expectations.” Information and Software Technology, vol. 97, 2018: 324-333.
Xiong, Ailun, et al. “Social networks, job satisfaction and job searching behavior in the Chinese labor market.” China Economic Review, vol. 43, 2017: 1-15.