Working Sandwich Generation Women Utilize Strategies within and between Roles to Achieve Role Balance

Abstract

Increasingly, women simultaneously balance the roles of mother, parental carer and worker. However, individual role balance strategies among these working ‘sandwich’ generation women have not been thoroughly explored. Eighteen women combining these three roles were interviewed about their individual role balance strategies. Findings were identified through the framework analysis technique, underpinned by the Model of Juggling Occupations. Achieving and maintaining role balance was explained as a complex process accomplished through a range of strategies. Findings revealed the women used six within-role balance strategies: living with integrity, being the best you can, doing what you love, loving what you do, remembering why and searching for signs of success. The women also described six between-role balance strategies: maintaining health and wellbeing, repressing perfectionism, managing time and energy, releasing responsibility, nurturing social connection and reciprocating. These findings provide a basis for health care providers to understand and potentially support working ‘sandwich’ generation women.

Family Relationships and Well-Being

“…As children and parents age, the nature of the parent–child relationship often changes such that adult children may take on a caregiving role for their older parents ( Pinquart & Soerensen, 2007 ). Adult children often experience competing pressures of employment, taking care of their own children, and providing care for older parents ( Evans et al, 2016 ). Support and strain from intergenerational ties during this stressful time of balancing family roles and work obligations may be particularly important for the mental health of adults in midlife ( Thomas, 2016 ).…”

The Spanish version of the Mothers' Postnatal Sense of Security Scale: Psychometric properties and predictive utility

“…Early parenthood is a crucial stage, both for individuals and couples, in which the family reorganizes and adapts to their new parental roles (Evans et al, 2016; Gürber, Baumelera, Grobb, Surbekc, & Stadlmayr, 2017). However, women sometimes experience a discrepancy between their expectations and experiences of becoming a mother (Tammentie, Paavilainen, Astedt‐Kurki, & Tarkka, 2004).…”

Social-ecological considerations for the sleep health of rural mothers

“…The social climate of rural communities may place mothers at a disadvantage in experiencing role strain, a state of increased stress due to competing demands of multiple social roles that is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, particularly with PPD (Evans et al 2016 ; Mollard et al 2016 ). Traditional gender roles and conservative family values are more prominent in rural areas, yet there are fewer jobs that can support single-income families in traditionally male-dominated fields (Lobao 2014 ); there are also fewer jobs with employment benefits such as paid parental leave (Lichter 2012 ).…”

“…Socioeconomic position and ethno-racial diversity are rarely accounted for in sleep research (Grandner et al 2016 ), and even less so in perinatal sleep and women’s health research (Jackson et al 2020 ; Nidey et al 2020 ). Population-level studies of regional health disparities would benefit from accounting for gender differences and reporting parity (number of children) for women of childbearing age (Evans et al 2016 ; Metse and Bowman 2020 ; Young et al 2020 ). In clinical practice, patients could self-identify as rural in their medical records so that clinicians consider this aspect of their care.…”