Discussion: Who values family the most?
I learned in my Spanish class that in most Spanish nations, family is extremely important and it pays a large role in the culture there. A native speaker was mentioning that he doesn't think "Americans" value their family enough. He said Americans value jobs, money, and friends more. I disagreed with his statement. I think that there are different value systems for each family in the United States. And I don't think that Spanish culture has anything to do with how much you value your family.
What do you think? Who values their family more?
8 Answers
One unbiased way, perhaps, to measure "valuing family" is to ask which cultures have 3 generations still living under one roof.
In Mexico, this is common. As it is in many of the Latin American countries and in Asian countries.
It once was here in the States, but now is rare. There seems to be a correlation with income levels, because in some European countries, the 3-generation family is also rare. In others, not so much, like Greece, Turkey, and Italy as examples.
Just an observation.
I'm going to say by far the Spanish nations with my examples being Argentina and Mexico.
I am from the US. I have a very tiny family that actually keeps in contact: my dad, mom, sister, brother, and occasionally my grandparents. I have cousins and an uncle but no one really talks to each other. I know that my family is fairly distant even by American standards but when I tell another American that that is how my family works, they just shrug because that happens.
In Mexico they are genuinely sad for you when they find that out. The financial reasons have already been mentioned but that financial situation leads the family to stay together longer and then they want to stay together more. Here in Mexico it is not uncommon to stay in your parents house until you are well into your 20s. They would like more privacy, sure, but it is cheaper and no one would think to look down on a person for not having their own place.
Good luck getting laid in the US if you don't have your own place with or without roommates after the age of 21. I moved out of my parents house at 17. I tell this to an American and they say "Cool!" while a Mexican friend is just shocked at the whole idea.
I very much value my family. I lend my sister money when she needs it, I talk to my mom on facebook, and I love visiting. However, I don't feel like I have to talk to them out of some social obligation. The social obligation that I think exists in places like Mexico can be a good thing in many ways but it is less individualistic.
Which is perhaps where the true differences are: Americans are far, far more individualistic while Mexicans and most others in Spanish speaking countries value the group more. I know my family on an individual level and my theory is that a Mexican family is taken as a group with stronger/weaker connections within the group.
Your friend can bite me though. 
It is a different culture, that is all. Our social norms are that Americans are further away from their family and it is unseemly to stay with them too long because it looks like you are relying on them (individualistic, remember). Spanish speaking countries don't have that norm and instead are looked down on if they don't spend time with their family (group oriented).
Neither is better or worse than the other, it is just how we function. Americans could honestly be closer with their families and Mexicans could get out from other their mother/father more and make their own decisions.
Well, I don't think that either place values family more than the other, but I value family very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very much, and I think that people who value money and other things more than family are really messed up people. However, I am American. And not Spanish.
I have no idea whether certain cultures value family more than others, but I agree with some of the opinions here that often, it depends on each individual family. I mean, I see this here where I live that some families are really tight while others are not.
Religion plays into this as well. Lots of Spanish speaking countries are predominantly Catholic. But when it comes to family values, it would be tough to top the Mormons.
I think it depends on the family, and you can't judge a culture as being more family orientated than another. Being english (and not american), and having lived in Spain with my boyfriend, I realised there are some little differences but not many - there are some families in Spain that are really family orientated, and others not so much. Its similar to anywhere you go in the world, so you can't really answer this question fairly, only under a bias.
I think Spanish culture values family and friends more.
Well, the Spanish-speaking nations, especially those from Latin America, are considered to be more traditional, paying more attention to what we refer to as traditional values. We might add another factor: Latin families in South America are generally poorer than in the United States (they are still called the developing countries) and very often their members depend on each other in terms of money. There are probably a few other cultural reasons to this.
In the USA (and all of the western world), which is more of a consumer society, the divorce rate is higher - I think that the financial status of a woman means a lot here. Young people seek their independence as soon as they finish high school, and often choose distant colleges to take their university courses.
