Cultural Diversity Issues
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) conducted a telephone study of the baby-boom generation in March 2001 that looked at the multicultural aspects of life in America. The study, entitled “In the Middle: A Report of Multicultural Boomers Coping with Family and Aging Issues,” provides some interesting information about the extended non-nuclear family as well as the traditional family and how cultural diversity issues affect this sandwiched generation. They used two firms to help them conduct the study: Belden Russonello and Stewart and Research/Strategy/Management (R/S/M).
Large numbers of Asian Americans, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans reported having responsibilities for the care of their parents and other aging adults. Additionally, they may have responsibility for not only their own children but also grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and in some instances the children of friends or neighbors.
Most participants said they were being sandwiched, but AARP states it was surprised to note that 74 percent indicated they felt in control and not overwhelmed or extremely stressed by their situation. The other 26 percent indicated they were beginning to feel stressed. This was especially true of those who had direct care responsibilities for older adults and parents.
The nationwide study of 2,352 Americans aged 44 to 55 revealed that the baby-boomer sandwich has widened to include adults caring for extended family members as well as some non-family members. Four percent of the participants were Asian American; 9 percent were Hispanic American; 11 percent were African American; and 75 percent were non-Hispanic whites.
Those individuals who identified themselves as being in a low-income bracket indicated they were overwhelmed and felt more burdened and stressed by their responsibilities to parents and children. They were also less able to take off time from work to take care of issues for their family members.
The AARP survey also found that 44 percent of those surveyed have children under age 21 and living parents, in-laws, or both. Fifty-four percent actually have responsibilities to care for children or parents or both. For 22 percent, their focus is exclusively on elder care for either a parent or in-law.
A few more general statistics from this report include:
70 percent have at least one living parent.
Almost 40 percent have children or adult children living at home.
7 percent live in multi-generational households.
69 percent do not want their children to have to shoulder the same responsibilities.
48 percent feel they should have or should be doing more for their parents.
The vast majority of the baby boomers welcome the chance to care for their parents and most feel they provide more care than their parents expect them to. Seventy-two percent report caring for the parents and in-laws has brought them closer together as a family.
Some of the differences between these racial and ethnic groups include the following:
African Americans expressed more stress and reported feeling more overwhelmed by their family responsibilities. Of the four ethnic divisions in this report, this group is most likely to have lost both of their parents, especially for the oldest members surveyed, yet 28 percent provide care to their elders.
Asian Americans have the highest expectations for care of both their parents and children. Forty-two percent provide care to their elders, and they are most likely to have responsibilities that reach across the ocean. They have the highest level of guilt.
Thirty-four percent of Hispanic Americans are providing care for their parents and in-laws. Much of the care they provide is personal care and assistance with getting medical care. They also provide the most financial assistance to their elders. They have more children than the other groups and are the most likely to have both parents alive.
Non-Hispanic whites make up the largest group of participants surveyed by AARP and have the highest likelihood of providing care to elderly parents. However, only 19 percent are actually providing care or financial assistance to their elders. This group was the most adamant that their children should not have to provide care for them.
What kinds of care did the participants indicate they provide for their parents and in-laws?
For more than 80 percent, the primary answer was social interaction such as making visits and contacting them on the telephone regularly. Forty-six percent transport them to the doctor or take them shopping; 45 percent do housework; 44 percent do the shopping; 33 percent pay bills; and 12 percent assist with intimate care. Only 27 percent indicated having to contribute financially.
Based on these findings, AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for Americans over 50, is developing advocacy and educational programs to address the multicultural issues of sandwiching baby boomers face today and in the future.
