Canada's Sandwich Generation

In 2002, about 27% of those aged 45 to 64 with unmarried children in the home were also caring for a senior. More than 8 in 10 of these individuals worked, causing some to reduce or shift their hours or to lose income.

Sandwiched workers were more likely to feel generally stressed—about 70% compared with about 61% of workers with no child-care or elder-care responsibilities. However, almost all (95%) felt satisfied with life in general—about the same percentage as those with fewer caregiving responsibilities.

Women were more likely than men to be sandwiched and, on average, provided more hours of elder care per month (29 versus 13).

The effects of providing elder care increase with time spent. For example, one-half of those spending more than eight hours per month (high-intensity caregivers) had to change their social activities, and over a third had to change their work schedule.

Source: Statistics Canada