Men Women and the Family - Caregivers

A somewhat unexpected result of better medical care and increased longevity is the phenomenon of the "sandwich generation"—adults who still have children living at home but who are also attending to the needs of their aging parents. While an increasing number of men had primary parental responsibility, women remained the traditional caregivers, according to a survey published in April 2004 by the National Alliance for Care-giving and the American Association of Retired Persons. In most cases these women were also employed outside the home and had to meet the challenge of both family and work obligations.

The demands of caregiving usually required some adjustments at work. Nearly two-thirds (64.1%) of care-givers surveyed in the aforementioned study were employed, most (51.8%) full-time. More than one-half (54.2%) reported having to make some type of adjustments at work as a result of caregiving responsibilities. Overall, nearly half (49.4%) of caregivers had to make changes to their daily work schedule, such as coming in later, leaving earlier, or taking time off during the day. Some caregivers reported giving up their job either temporarily or permanently—10.9% took a leave of absence, 3.6% took early retirement, and 6.4% gave up their jobs altogether. About 7% worked fewer hours or took a less demanding job. A smaller percentage reported having lost some job benefits (4.2%) or having turned down a promotion (3.1%) because of caregiving.