Women of a middle generation and parent care.
This article addresses women who are caring for both parents and children, the so called sandwich generation or women-in-the-middle. Gerontological studies on this topic reflect controversies on the concept as well as on the size of the phenomenon. Our study attempts to demonstrate empirically to what extent middle-aged women respond to the care demands of both the generation ahead as well as the generation behind them. A population-based sample among women aged forty to fifty-four in the Netherlands (N = 933) is utilized. The study indicates the prevalence of women-in-the-middle and presents analyses of their socio-demographic characteristics as well as of patterns of parent care. Further, the potential for a cross-cultural comparison between the Netherlands and other countries is discussed regarding parent care as a normative experience and the chances of middle-aged women getting "caught" between care demands from two generations.
Dautzenberg
M G
MG
Maastricht University, The Netherlands. M.DAUTZENBERG@MEDSOC.UNIMAAS.NL
Diederiks
J P
JP
Philipsen
H
H
Stevens
F C
FC
D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires