In business, as in life, demographics are a vital factor, yet also a changeable constant. Demographics are the threads between yesterday, today and tomorrow. Despite stereotypes and folklore, adapting, adjusting and embracing demographic changes as facts of life is essential.
Here is an overview:
- The Greatest Generation, born before 1928
- The Silent Generation, 1928-1945
- Baby Boomers, 1946-1964
- Generation X, 1965-1980
- Millennials, 1981-1996
- Gen Z, 1997-2012
- And most recently, Generation Alpha, born from 2013 onwards
A substantial proportion of the population is aging, while many Canadians are starting families later in life, leading to a dual caregiving challenge. The “sandwich generation” finds themselves squeezed between the demands of raising their own children while also tending to the needs of their elderly parents.
An aging population, coupled with increased life expectancy, is a tsunami of unprecedented pressures. Not only grappling with inflation, soaring costs and a competitive job market for professionals, but for some people the economic strain is compounded by the emotional, time management and financial responsibilities of caring for multiple generations simultaneously.
The “sandwich” is not a specific generation, like Baby Boomers or Millennials, but rather a phenomenon.
“The median age of Canada’s population is just over 40 years old, compared to 25 years old in 1966,” explains Dr. Tami Bereska, associate professor of sociology at MacEwan University.
This dual role and responsibility, coupled with current economic challenges, has created a perfect storm. The demographic trends caution that the pressures often become concerns about personal and workplace health and wellness.
The sandwich generation is confronting some unique stresses and financial burdens that, subtly and significantly, are impacting contemporary health and wellness.
Canada, like other developed nations, is facing a growing demographic challenge, as many Canadians find themselves simultaneously caring for both their children and their parents.
They are typically middle-aged adults in their 40s and 50s, who balance full-time careers while raising children who may still be at home or in college. Now, they are adding another layer of responsibility – managing the care of aging parents whose health is declining.
This three-tiered caregiving role creates unprecedented stress on time, finances and emotional well-being. Balancing the needs of children and parents can be emotionally taxing, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed, guilt and anxiety. Providing financial support for both children and parents can create significant financial stress, especially with the rising costs of childcare and eldercare. Juggling work, childcare, eldercare and personal needs can lead to a lack of time and difficulty maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
With increased life expectancy and the rising cost of living, the number of individuals in the sandwich generation is growing. Stats and trends reveal that the strain of dual caregiving leads to significant emotional, financial and physical strain. Stress and other mental health issues at home and at work can lead to burnout.
“Statistics Canada research finds that 86 per cent of those responsible for sandwich caregiving report impacts on their health and well-being, particularly being tired, anxious, worried and overwhelmed,” Dr. Bereska notes. “Two-thirds of sandwich caregivers who are not retired report an impact on their employment, such as having to reduce hours or responsibilities at work. It compounds the stress because reducing hours often means less income.”
The effects on health and employment are greater for those involved in sandwich caregiving, compared to a single form of caregiving, such as caring only for children or only for adults.
Experts point out that, while the stresses on the sandwich generation are surging and being acknowledged and more openly talked about, it has been a concern for decades.
“As far back as the 1980s and 1990s, trends about the caregiving stress on families started to converge,” says University of Alberta sociology professor Sara Dorow. “Longer life spans, later childbirth and, importantly, more women entering the workforce are factors. As the main unpaid caregivers, but also increasingly as participants in the paid workforce, women in particular continue to be ‘sandwiched’ between care of parents and children.”
She adds that while the gendered division of labour is becoming more equitable, it is still the case that women spend more time than men in care work.
Bereska points out that, “Statistically, caregiving in all forms is gendered. Women are more likely than men to assume responsibility, although the gender gap has declined somewhat in recent decades.
“Also, women’s caregiving tasks tend to be more direct and personal, like hygiene and health, while men’s tasks tend to be more indirect, like household repairs and yardwork.
“Sandwich generation women tend to assume the role of family administrator, being aware that appointments must be scheduled, scheduling those appointments and transporting or arranging transportation to those appointments.”
Several recent studies itemize some common health and wellness risks confronting the sandwich generation: stress, burnout, fatigue, mood swings, anxiety, irritability and neglecting personal health.
“There is research showing higher rates of informal burnout for multigenerational caregivers, compared to those caring for either parents or children,” Dorow says. “Higher rates of depression are often attributed to the difficulty of balancing work, personal and care demands.”
She highlights a positive aspect, “One recent scoping review found that flexible work hours and arrangements, as well as partner support, likely contribute to mitigating stress.”
Then there’s the harder-to-measure and diagnose risk: coping with financial stresses; increasing expenses, strained and sometimes reduced income, since multi-generational caregiving often requires work hours to be reduced or time off to provide care for children, elderly parents or both.
“There is some evidence that the longer transition to adulthood, along with the costs associated with aging-in-place, have exacerbated financial stresses for the sandwich generation, increasing debt and reducing the ability to save,” Dorow says.
An undisputable warning: one of the most pressing concerns for the sandwich generation is financial stability – not just their own, but other situations as well as their parents.
Dorow mentions one common and contemporary aggravating factor, “Many aging parents planned their retirement based on market projections and life expectancies that may no longer hold true.”
She cautions that there are trends to consider for the stresses on the sandwich generation.
“Uncertainties in unemployment markets and unaffordability in housing markets have contributed to children staying longer at home and/or returning home. There are more single-parent households and fewer siblings to help with care. More seniors are opting for aging-in-place (staying at home) and sometimes living with their adult children.”
The new dilemma is what to do about it. Research confirms that the sandwich generation’s dual caregiving responsibility can lead to significant stress, threatening mental and physical health, finances, employment, productivity and work-life balance.
“The issues cannot be resolved by teaching caregiving individuals how to improve their multitasking or manage stress better,” Dr. Bereska emphasizes. “The larger social context must also change, and with 40 per cent of Canadians having caregiving responsibilities that impact their health and employment, employers have a vested interest in being part of the solution.”