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Sandwich generation in Indonesia: Caught between parents and children
In a country with poor pension coverage where almost half of the elderly live with their children and grandchildren, it is common to find working-age people covering the needs of their children as well as their parents.
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Dutiful children: Annisa Maulida Sofia (second left), 24, carries her four-month old daughter alongside her husband, Aditya Rahman (second right), 24, and her parents in-law on July 28. Annisa and her little family live with her husband's parents in Gresik, East Java. (Courtesy of Annisa Maulida Sofia/-)
F
or Annisa Maulida Sofia, a 24-year-old business owner in Gresik, East Java, saving up money is proving difficult, as she and her husband have to foot bills for their parents.
The wedding photography venture she had founded with her husband is growing, but business relies heavily on wedding seasons, hence their income can be uncertain at times. Their spending increased with the birth of their daughter four months ago.
“I don’t mind providing for my in-laws, because that’s our duty as their children, and we also still live in their house […]. However, it is indeed harder to save up now, with the seasonal business and a newborn to look after,” she told The Jakarta Post.
In a country with poor pension coverage where almost half of the elderly live with their children and grandchildren, it is common to find working-age people covering the needs of their children as well as their parents. While this is a noble act commonly praised about eastern culture, it may spell trouble when the country has a larger number of senior citizens in a few years’ time.
The young and working couples in such three-generation households, also known as the burdened second generation or sandwich generation, are also tasked with preparing for their own retirement to prevent passing on a similar fate to their children.
What causes a sandwich generation?
In 2013, University of Indonesia Demographic Institute associate director I Dewa Gede Karma Wisana studied the sandwich generation phenomenon in the country, alongside Rachmat Reksa Samudra from the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Southeast Asia.
