Profile of the sandwich generation and intergenerational transfers in Ireland

Abstract

Global population changes in the more developed world have occurred from increased life expectancy and delayed fertility with women having their children later in life. These population changes have led to an increase in the intermediate population, or the “sandwich generation” those who have both living parents and younger dependent children. Previous studies in Northern European, Southern European and the United States of America (US) have shown that women, being the intermediate between elderly parents and young adult children have borne the burden of care for both generations (Attias-Donfut, Ogg & Wolff, 2005; Grundy & Henretta, 2006; Roll & Litwin, 2010). The patterns of intergenerational transfers vary geographically and while in Northern Europe middle-aged children support their parents financially, in Southern Europe, the parents are supported through co-residence and time (Bonsang, 2007). However, in the context of this ‘sandwich generation’, most transfers are not in the direction of children to parents but rather from parents to children. The population structure in Ireland is changing; people are living longer, fertility rates are dropping and women are older when they have their children. The proportion of men and women aged 85 years or over increased by 55% between 1991 and 2011 (from 0.8% to 1.3) (Central Statistics Office, 2012a). The average age of mothers giving birth increased from 30.3 years in 2001 to 31.5 years in 2010 and for first-time mothers rose from 28.8 years in 2006 to 29.4 years in 2010 (Health Research Board and Information Division, 2012). This delayed fertility has led to changes in society in Ireland: more women are remaining in the work-force, 56% of women were in employment in 2011, a 30% increase since 1997 (Central Statistics Office, 2012b). These changes combined with adults living longer indicate that the sandwich generation will become more relevant and more women will be caring for dependent children and elderly parents while also playing a more active role in the work-force. Furthermore the global recession may impact on the ability of both elderly parents and younger adult children to financially support themselves, thus the sandwich generation may be increasingly called upon to support both generations, both financially and with their time. This report provides information on older women in Ireland who have both living parents and children (the sandwich generation). It characterises the sandwich generation women, describes the types of transfers they provide to the two generations and provides national prevalence for intergenerational giving from women in Ireland to both their parents and their children. It also determines how intergenerational transfers impact on women’s health within the sandwich generation. The data comes from the first wave of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a prospective study using a stratified probability sample of 8,175 community-dwelling men and women aged over 50 who were resident in Ireland, 3196 (39.1%) of whom are women aged 50-69 years. This report is organised as follows: section 2 describes the distribution and characteristics of older women who are part of the sandwich generation by education, marital status, in addition to their employment status and location (Dublin/urban, area other than Dublin/rural). It also examines the numbers of children and living parents these women have and their living arrangements. Section 3 describes the types and frequencies of non-financial and financial transfers and what the determinants of providing these transfers are, between these women and their parents and children. Section 4 reports the impact that these transfers have on the health of sandwich generation women. Section 5 summarises the findings and indicates areas where these findings could inform policy.