It is Not a Burden, Because it is a Must

The double burden makes it difficult for people in the sandwich generation to prepare their own old-age funds. If this problem is not immediately resolved, future generations will also experience the same problem.

KOMPAS/JUMARTO YULIANUS

Haidi (37) repairs a customer's cell phone at a mobile phone and laptop service business he manages in Banjarmasin City, South Kalimantan, Tuesday (6/9/2022). As an informal worker, Haidi belongs to the sandwich generation, which has to bear a double economic burden, namely for his family and parents.

“Sandwich generation” is a concept that emerged in 1981 in an article by Dorothy Miller and Elaine Brody. Miller highlighted individuals who were in a position to take care of their aging parents, while Brody highlighted the double burden of women in the United States who must take care of their children and husbands, plus aging parents or relatives.

From the two descriptions above, the sandwich generation refers to people in the productive age group who are bearing the financial burdens of their aging parents as well as that of their own family. If they have a family, the burden comes from their children. If they are single, the burden comes from their siblings.