Comparison and contrast between Australia and Lebanon in terms of social environment
Countries around the world are characterised by their own cultures. According to social anthropology, culture is determined by a range of learned human behaviour patterns, i.e. language, religion, music, art and social habits (custom and traditions). Accordingly, there are many differences between one and another culture, and the degree of difference is highly dependent on the geographical location of the countries, so that adjacent countries often display many more similarities than differences. In the case of two the distant countries like Australia and Lebanon, their differences and similarities will be discussed here in terms of social environment.
To begin with family relationships, the composition of both the Australian family and the Lebanese family are changing. While the former is becoming smaller and less likely to include children, and the Lebanese family also tends to be smaller than what it used to be, having children remains one of the pillars of marriage. In the present time, the word “ family” in Australia can hold many meanings, such as a married couple or a couple in a de facto relationship, with dependent children in either case, whereas the Lebanese family carries only one implication, which is a married couple of a man and a woman, along with their children. Taking a closer look inside families, the Lebanese variety is based on the patriarchal system, where the father is the head of the family and the woman is subordinate to him even if financial necessity requires her employment outside. By contrast, with the increase of women’s participation in the workforce in Australia, the father’s role has changed from being income provider to a range of functions such as carer, teacher and helper in domestic activities.
As regards religious differences, while it has no official religion, Australia is described as a Christian country, unlike Lebanon, where...