Global Phenomenon: the Millennial Generation is Trapped by Sandwich Generation in Indonesia

This study is a theoretical exploration of the global phenomenon related to the millennial generation trapped in the sandwich generation. The term sandwich generation, was first introduced by Dorothy Miller in her paper entitled "The Sandwich Generation Adult Children Of the Aging" in 1981. In theory, the sandwich generation is a group of adults aged 30-40 years who take care not only of their children but also of their children parents. Be it physically, emotionally or financially. Caring for elderly parents or children also has a negative impact on a person's physical and mental health, moreover the care and treatment is carried out intensively. The approach used in this study is a descriptive approach adopted from descriptive and analytical qualitative research methods, by using library data and documentation. This feature contains a detailed description, critical and comparative thinking, as well as a systematic evaluation of the available data relating to the subject matter. In addition, the research methods used can also be described as interdisciplinary. It can thus help create a unique perspective for tackling a chosen topic by thinking and analyzing across the traditional boundaries that define an established academic discipline.


INTRODUCTION
As millennials whose time is spent at work, working from Monday to Monday certainly feels very tiring, especially living in this day and age where competitors are everywhere.The millennial generation is the most educated but also underpaid generation.Capitalism increasingly makes us overworked, overtime without appropriate compensation and ultimately burn out easily.Even though they have worked hard, the results have not been much, so millennials feel isolated, because they feel like they are fighting alone.And many millennials are trapped as the sandwich generation.Balancing work and multigenerational caregiving responsibilities as increasing numbers of working women and men raise children, support adult children, and care for aging parents while managing their own household and work responsibilities.Older people also care for their grandchildren or guardianship grandparents.
The existence of the sandwich generation according to Shclesinger and Raphael (1993) states that the status of the sandwich generation cannot be separated from the existence of obligations to look after the family outside the nuclear family, even though this is a form of solidarity between families.Having the responsibility to care for elderly parents or children also has a negative impact on a person's physical and mental health, especially when care and maintenance is carried out intensively.If the potential for this incident continues to increase, it will have an impact on the lives of the sandwich generation who have low income levels, plus the level of satisfaction with their families will decrease ( Rari, Ferlistya Pratita. et al. 2022).
Furthermore, the sandwich generation makes someone have greater responsibilities and liabilities when compared to generations who are not the sandwich generation.So this is very interesting to research further, regarding the relationship between the millennial generation and the sandwich generation and the impacts that occur on the millennial generation.

METHODOLOGY
The approach used in this research is a descriptive approach adopted from descriptive and analytical qualitative research methods.Data collection techniques were carried out using library study techniques and documentation from previous research.This feature contains detailed descriptions, critical and comparative thinking, as well as systematic evaluation of available data related to the subject matter.In addition, the research methods used can also be described as interdisciplinary.In doing so it can help create a unique perspective to address a chosen topic by thinking and analyzing across the traditional boundaries that define established academic disciplines

Relationship between the Millennial Generation and the Sandwich Generation
The term generation was first introduced by William Strauss and Neil Howe in their study of generational cycle identities in the United States.They then wrote it as Generation Theory in their work entitled Generation: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2026 in 1991 which discusses the historical journey of the succession of the Anglo-American generation and identifies the emergence of a new generational cycle in the history of the United States.The terms millennial generation and sandwich generation are often heard lately because of the increasing development of technology and information.The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) divides Indonesia's population into six generations, namely past generation Z, generation Z, Millennials, generation X, Baby Boomer and Pre-Boomer (Shahreza, Mirza. 2017).The millennial generation or millennial generation is the generation born around the time period 1980 to 2000 which belongs to generation Y, Net generation, Generation We and others ( Hidayatullah, Syarif. et al. 2018) .
The Millennial generation lives in a complex era, everything is easy with advances and technological developments which are experiencing rapid development from day to day.Challenges and competition at work are becoming increasingly difficult, resulting in mental and physical health being disturbed due to the various kinds of pressures carried by the millennial generation.It seems as if there are no limits to the millennial generation who have fallen into the sandwich generation.
The term "sandwich generation".First introduced by Dorothy Miller in her paper entitled " The Sandwich Generation Adult Children of the Aging" in 1981.In theory, this sandwich generation is a group of adults aged 30-40 years who take care not only of their children but also their parents.Whether it's physically, emotionally or financially.Chisholm (1999) defines the "Sandwich Generation" as referring to individuals who, "because of circumstances", find themselves in the position of being caregivers for their children, and/or adult children who care for one or both parents.already elderly ( Burke. Ronald J. 2017) .Couples who work while caring for children and aging parents have been called the sandwich generation for more than 25 years.This phenomenon has received research attention over the last decade and has increased every year.
In the United States, 55 percent of all children under the age of 18 live in their grandparents' homes.The average person in the sandwich generation spends $10,000 and 1,350 hours per year to take care of the two generations, namely the children and parents.This sandwich generation phenomenon occurs everywhere.In the UK for example, I and 3 adults make sandwiches in various generations.In the United States, 12 percent of parents who have children also become the sandwich generation because they have to take care of their children and parents.Meanwhile in Asia itself, South Korea is the country with the highest Sandwich Generation.Couples caught between the needs of children, parents and the workplace.Dealing with one's own needs and having multiple roles turns out to be stressful.Carers UK (2013) estimates that by 2050 there will be three times as many people of working age caring for 2 billion elderly family members.Parenting and careers tend to progress at about the same time ( Hammer, LB and Neal, M. 2008) , National Alliance for Care giving and American Association of Retired Persons (2004)reports that 21 percent of the US population provides family care to someone over 18 years of age.Seventy-nine percent of these caregivers provide care for someone 55 years of age or older ( Burke. Ronald J. 2017).The majority work full time about two thirds of employed caregivers making work related adjustments to provide care.Koerin et al. (2008) examined the role of informal care giving in the US health care system.More than 80 percent of home-based care is provided without payment by family and friends.
The majority of caregivers work full or part time (59 percent), and 62 percent make work-related adjustments to provide care.Care giving involves addressing physical and psychological needs simultaneously.Some care giving tasks are "hands-on" (e.g., bathing, feeding, administering medication, providing support), while others are "managerial" (e.g., planning, supervision, mediation with external experts and programs).More older women and men receiving care are now living apart from their caregivers.More caregivers are also working for pay in either full-time or part-time jobs (DeRigne, L., & Ferrante, S. 2012).
The people in their 50s and 60s, along with their children, elderly parents, and possibly even their grandchildren, make up the traditional sandwich generation.As the population ages, this image is gradually changing.An increasing number of older children are staying at home because they are unable to find employment or occupations that pay enough for them to live alone.In a pinch, parents can spend up to $1000 year on care for their elderly parents and children, and 1350 hours annually on caregiving.Approximately half of respondents between the ages of 40 and 59 said they have given money to at least one child who was 18 years old or older in the previous year, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center study of 2500 adults in the US.A greater number of adult children are returning home to hunt for employment.The proportion of married couples residing in their parents' house has also increased.
The number of families that meet the sandwich generation description is still somewhat of a mystery, however estimates vary from 10 to 20 percent globally, depending on the factors used to categorize individuals and families.According to Statistics Canada (2010), up to 30% of Canadians between the ages of 45 and 64 who are also caring for their elderly parents and their dependent children under 25 are considered to be part of the sandwich generation.Currently, one-third of Americans provide elder care, putting in an average of 20 hours a week over the course of five to eighteen years.
Though males are now also extensively involved, women still provide the majority of the care.Because they believed they needed to be strong to go on, men caregivers were less likely than female caregivers to ask for assistance.It is also less common for male caregivers to discuss the stress and strain they go through.The majority of these caretakers work.The sandwich generation is expected to grow larger due to a number of demographic, social, and economic factors, including an aging population, longer life expectancy, delaying childbearing, smaller families, higher female participation in the workforce, slow economic growth, rising health care costs, lower public spending on social and health services, and the preference of the elderly to age in place.Numerous academic disciplines, including economics, management, psychology, sociology, and social work, have conducted research on the sandwich generation.Although most research has been conducted in North America, it is gradually making its way to other parts of the world.

Impact and Solutions
The sandwich generation phenomenon in Indonesia has been experienced by most of the population, including the millennial generation.The crisis that often occurs in the millennial generation as well as the sandwich generation is that they are at a stage where it is difficult to manage time, manage finances, prioritize and focus on the future, called the Quarter Life Crisis.In fact, not only at the age of 25, but starting from the age of 18, we begin to experience a quarter life crisis , which is marked by the condition of Indonesia itself.In 2020, according to the BPS population census data, Indonesia will experience a demographic bonus from 2020 to 2045, where the productive age population is much greater than the non-productive age population.And at that time 70 percent of the population in Indonesia was aged 15-64 years.This condition causes a large population of productive age but increases JDV.The contributing factor is that it turns out that many people are still being squeezed by difficult conditions in their families.
The Sandwich generation is a generation that is squeezed when they have a family, or are not yet married but must and need to think about their other families, both emotionally and financially.There are many families under one roof, so this means that the sandwich generation does not have better priorities, both psychologically and financially.According to the Paul Research Center in 2012, one-eighth of Americans are trapped in the sandwich generation.They are sandwiched between having to take care of their children and also having to take care of their parents in the same house.This condition turns out to be very vulnerable to the psychological conditions of the millennial generation, such as depression, excessive anxiety, stress and so on.
According to research conducted in America, there are several dimensions that cause a person to experience certain stress.According to Relly and Bown (2005) regarding issues regarding financial management, time management, loss of energy for work, both working in the domestic environment and their professional work outside the home.As a care giver who has a burden between the family and parents, there are several dimensions, first, emotionally they are required to think about their parents, and also have to think about the problems within their small family.This makes it difficult for the sandwich generation to choose between priority and priority.
Second, there is difficulty in managing time, which is usually a dependency for the sandwich generation.Because you have to choose which one should come first, between children or parents.Third, when they are burdened by family burdens and other family members, it triggers certain emotions such as not being able to develop themselves outside.Fourth, often feel tired, rest time is reduced because they have to take care of parents and children.Fifth, they lose time to socialize with their peers or their environment.So the sandwich generation seems to have a conflict that has no solution.
One of the triggering factors is a lack of knowledge regarding financial management and appropriate investment to prepare for the future to support all aspects of life's needs.This is considered normal and normal because it has been a long-standing tradition for children to pay for the financial and physical needs of their elderly parents.This condition continues to circulate in Indonesia as if it has become the habitus and culture of society so that it spreads to the next generation.

CONCLUSIONS
From the description above, it can be concluded that the millennial generation is unknowingly trapped in the realm of the sandwich generation at an age that is still considered productive, from 15 to 64 years old.The time that should be used for education is instead used to work to support the lives of family, younger siblings and so on.The Sandwich generation is a generation that is squeezed when they have a family, or are not yet married but must and need to think about their other families, both emotionally and financially.There are many families under one roof, so this means that the sandwich generation does not have better priorities, both psychologically and financially.The impact could be bad for this sandwich generation, such as becoming easily stressed, often feeling tired, being overly anxious and so on.Talking about this is certainly a sensitive topic to discuss, but it must be discussed because it is important for society, including those who are part of the sandwich generation, to be able to understand more broadly about this sandwich generation.

ADVANCED RESEARCH
So that they can empathize, understand what the sandwich generation is experiencing right now.And before communicating to people, communicate to yourself.It could be that what we get as a sandwich generation is part of the prayers of the people we fight for every day when we leave the house.