The number of caregivers in the sandwich generation, looking after young children and elderly parents, is growing significantly. With longer lifespans, more of an ageing population and people having children later, the number is further set to rise. Getty
The number of caregivers in the sandwich generation, looking after young children and elderly parents, is growing significantly. With longer lifespans, more of an ageing population and people having children later, the number is further set to rise. Getty
The number of caregivers in the sandwich generation, looking after young children and elderly parents, is growing significantly. With longer lifespans, more of an ageing population and people having c
Shelina Janmohamed is an author and a culture columnist for The National
August 05, 2022
The idea of parental leave is widely understood and accepted in modern societies. We value the principle that those in the workforce should be able to take time off for the birth of a child: women, of course, but increasingly men as well. How long this lasts and how much they might get paid during leave varies by country and employer, but the principle of supporting childcare while being employed has been established.
But it wasn’t always like this. In the UK, the 1911 National Insurance Act included a maternal health benefit and a one-off maternity grant of 30 shillings (or £162) for insured women. The first maternity leave legislation was introduced in 1975 in the UK, emerging from a huge social shift: the growing presence of women in the workplace and in the public arena, as well as changing social attitudes that women have the right and desire to fulfil their ambitions outside the home, too. Women increasingly felt a need for financial independence and to contribute to the family income.
At the same time, we now have a growing demographic of the elderly – a population more sizeable than in past eras and one that is also living longer. Their extended age also brings new kinds of dependencies and care needs.
Which means that the next big social shift is now upon us: caregiving for the elderly. And in particular, caregiving by the "sandwich generation" for parents and children. It is a pressing, rapid social shift and it is expected to only grow in magnitude and impact in the coming years.
These men and mostly women typically fall in the 35-54 age range, although this varies by country. While the term "women in the middle" has existed since 1981, the number of sandwich generation caregivers is now growing significantly, and with increased lifespans, more of an ageing population and people having children later, this number is further set to rise. As anyone who has cared for either children or the elderly will tell you, these are difficult, draining and time-consuming tasks.
Alexandra Harg and baby Hazel (middle) arrive from Sydney to be reunited with Hazel's Grandparents Rob and Maja Fyfe at Brisbane Domestic Airport, Brisbane, Australia, on December 13, 2021. EPA
Now imagine doing them both at the same time while managing a full-time job. And if you are working and enjoying your work, why would you want to give up contributing to society and to the workplace?
We must, therefore, not wait any further before tackling this sandwich generation crisis at the workplace.
It is already engulfing a generation of caregivers and is only set to grow, which means we need to get our workplaces ready now. This is for the sake of not just the women themselves, but also for our employers, the economy, and our physical and mental well-being. Across the world, societies need happy and healthy women who are flourishing, doing well and contributing to work.
We need to talk bluntly and urgently about sandwich generation women, and what happens to them in the workplace. And for me, it is not just a significant social crisis, it’s personal, because I am one of those women.
From a societal and workplace perspective, this age bracket is the time when employees are flourishing, gaining experience and skills. Employees in this range are often at the peak of their career, bringing value to organisations. But we also know that the pressure of caregiving is so immense, for women especially, that they often inevitably fall out of the workforce.
If women are falling out of the workforce as result of a crisis that we can see happening in front of our eyes, it is harmful for society as well as to women's self-development, long-term successes and their financial stability with regard to their retirement planning. It's also bad news for employers who need talented staff, in an era in which we are trying to rebalance gender representation.
Employers, policymakers and industries the world over need to address these concerns. Plus, once out of the other side of the sandwich generation (children older, parents perhaps sadly no longer on the scene), it is better to keep them in the workforce than to lose them and have to re-integrate them later at higher cost. Besides, the flipside of multiple responsibilities is that with the right support, it can, in fact, make you more creative and productive in the time that you have.
It is hard to talk about caregiving without worrying about being seen as weak or uncommitted to work. And particularly in the West, where individualism and nuclear families are often the norm, there can often be little understanding or societal openness about caregiving for the elderly.
Employers everywhere have a role to play and it is in their own interest to start addressing this.
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened. He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”. Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
