Economic downturn, changes in social behavior, and a society that enjoys living longer have contributed to conflicting demands on the ‘sandwich generation’. The group has earned the name because of their juxtaposition between aging and younger family members vying for their time, energy, and financial support. In Canada alone, the sandwich generation is comprised of more than 2 million people who balance childcare, eldercare, and work. The members of the group are sometimes referred to as ‘employed caregivers,’ individuals who are caregivers and also engaged in paid employment.[1]

Societal Changes – The Old Rules Don’t Apply

Who is the typical member of the sandwich generation? Generally, it is a baby-boomer or a Generation Xer and more often a woman than a man who falls into the category.[2] These groups of individuals have established new trends to delay marriage (or partnering) and parenthood. A large number of them have parents who benefitted from significant medical developments following World War II and enjoy longer lives requiring more years of care and residence, but may not have planned effectively to finance the prospect of living longer.[3] As a result of the life longevity and sustained level of the need for financial resources, the sandwich generation also delays retirement.

The ‘Empty-Nest’ Myth

Adult children who move out of the family home may very well boomerang within three to five years and move back in with parents. Reasons for which young adults in their twenties remain in or return to the parental home vary, but they include not being part of a couple, cost of housing, cultural preferences, pursuit of higher education, or difficulty finding employment.

A Statistics Canada study based on 2011 census data[4] showed that a little more than four in 10 young adults aged 20 to 29 lived with their parents, which includes those who never left the home and those who left but returned after living somewhere else. Young men living at home accounted for 46.7% of men in their 20’s while only 37.9% of women in the same age group lived at home. Among the provinces and territories, the highest proportion of young adults living in the parental home in 2011 was in Ontario (50.6%). Newfoundland and Labrador had 44.7%. The provinces with the lowest proportions of young adults living with their parents in 2011 were Saskatchewan (30.6%) and Alberta (31.4%).[5]

Challenges for Working Caregivers

Employed caregivers contribute significant time and resources to family caregiving in addition to full-time or nearly full-time employment. A Statistics Canada study compared the different types of family caregivers based on the relationship with their primary care receiver.[6] The resulting article highlighted:

• In 2012, 8 million Canadians, or 28% of the population aged 15 and over, provided care to family members or friends with a long-term health condition, a disability or problems associated with aging.
• Among these, 39% primarily cared for their father or mother, 8% for their spouse or partner, and 5% for their child. The remaining (48%) provided care to other family members or friends.
• 24% of those caring for their father or mother shared the same home.[7]

A significant portion of family caregivers remain in the workplace. The work-life balance study conducted in 2011-2012 by Duxbury and Higgins in partnership with Desjardins Insurance showed:

• Six in ten employed caregivers work more than 45 hours a week.
• Of employed women, 20% are sandwich generation Canadians; men accounted for 17%.
• Nearly 30% of caregivers cope with the pressures of work and family by bringing work home, giving up on sleep, and trimming social activities on a daily basis.
• About 20% of employees who are caregivers turn down promotions because their plate is too full.

The stress of supporting extended family manifests itself in a number of ways. In 2011, Credit Canada and Capital One Canada commissioned a survey of 830 Canadians in the sandwich generation to gain insight into financial needs that yielded interesting results.[8]

• Four in 10 Canadians in the sandwich generation were concerned about financially support their aging parents in the future, yet the vast majority (82%) had not prepared or didn’t know if they would ever be prepared to do so.
• Two-thirds are going more into debt to support both their children and an aging parent.
• More than 70% of Canadians in a relationship and with a family income of less than $50,000, who also help support an aging parent, indicate that the romance in their relationship was suffering.