Caught in the Middle

The Sandwich Generation’s Struggles

In all societies across the globe mostly three generations live at a time. Sandwich generation is the cohort of individuals stays in the middle of young and old generation like the name clarifies. Lawfully young generation is the group of people whose ages are between 16 to 30 years and the old generation is the age-group spanning from the age 50 and above, however, sandwich generation is the generation whose ages are roughly between 30 and 50 years around. Arguably this group of individuals is sandwich between the young and the old generations. The term “sandwich generation” was used by a prominent sociologist John J. Macionis in his famous sociology book contending that this generation is the most affected age-group in terms of responsibilities. He continues to say that this cohort serves as caregivers for both the earlier and later generations. The said generation remains conscious about the anticipatory socialization of adult youth and healthcare of the elders.

Socially speaking in today’s world sandwich generation gets more importance, as our society is passing through a transitional period, where older are more traditional and irrational while youngers are educated and rational producing a big gap regarding life ambitions- sandwich generation in this context stays between the two ideologically dissonant age-groups. The earlier mentioned two generations are not only different in their ideas, but in reality they own two diverse cultures and life courses. They behave and act differently. Their worldview is totally mismatched from each other on different familial and social issues. The youngers containing the Gen Z and Gen Alpha are more internet-oriented and pursuing modern trends and the elders containing baby boomers and Gen X always resist contemporary trends and consider them setback to their traditions or even their religious beliefs. In this scenario the sandwich generation knowns as millennials or Gen Y rests in a great confusion that how to bridge these two inharmonious generational groups.

Nevertheless, the sandwich generation is highly educated cohort and engaged in jobs and services in various departments, having experiences of the old time as well as modern time. In this context, members of this squeezing age group are more concerned about their lifestyle that what to adopt and what to ignore, because the other two dissonant generations expect and even demands from this cohort to behave and act like them exclusively. Contextually, this generation is in great distress and often found in mess for the reason that how to survive between these two groups, as this generation is simultaneously supporting both of the generations and remain in frequent contact with these age-groups.

In the third world countries like Pakistan when there are no proper arrangements for gerontology. The state takes for granted the elders population, exonerate from the healthcare services and social security of the older people and leave them on the disposal of family further exacerbate the pains of elderly. The suffering middle generation is not only morally and emotionally bound to take care of the two generations but also breadwinners of their families.

Because both of the generations are completely dependent on the stuck in the middle generation. The young or adult children at this stage are perusing their academic targets and the elderly are too weak to work and remain at home. The caregiving generation besides earning subsistence are also open to other challenges and management of the family and social activities related to cultural norms and traditions. The members of this generation are more concerned about the food, shelter, healthcare and other cultural and religious ceremonies to manage. Furthermore, they are more stressful for the education and good socialization of children and keep watchful surveillance on the young adults to keep them away from deviant practices. Psychologists conclude that the initial stage of socialization keeps lingering impacts on the personality of children. The healthier company keeps healthier impacts on the thoughts and behavior of children. Moreover, the sandwich generation is also more anxious about the life course of the older members of the family, because elders need not only food subsistence or medical care, but also they need social support, economic contentment and the psychological and emotional ease, which is indeed an extra responsibility of this generational cohort to fulfil.

In short sandwich generation is the backbone of a society. Besides handling with the two generations compatibly this generation also deals with other hardships of the social life owing to their emotional maturity and understanding of solving other issues amicably. Our cultural system has kept this thankless responsibility on the shoulders of this generation solely, but, observably they do not get deserving appreciation ironically. Or in other words this generation is a scapegoat serving the earlier and the later generations on the expense of their life.