Now, 40- and 50-something Gen Xers make up the heart of the sandwich generation (which includes men and women), but the baton will pass again soon: The oldest millennials turn 40 next year, notes Kim Parker, director of social trends research with the Pew Research Center. And because millennials have waited longer to have children than prior generations, they are even more likely than their predecessors to find themselves balancing care for even younger children and aging parents, Parker says. “We know, on average, adults are marrying later now, and women are having children later in life, so it compresses things for that generation,” she says. ADAD“I very consciously waited until a little bit later in life to have children,” Sofia says. “When I had my kids, I was like, ‘How come my parents aren’t helping me the way my grandparents helped them?’ ” she says.

Source: Washington Post March 11, 2020 12:45 UTC