August 11, 2023
Older ‘sandwich generation’ Californians spent more time with parents and less with grandkids after paid family leave law took effect
In a Research Brief for The Conversation, Joelle Abramowitz describes her research (along with Marcus Dillender) which examines the effect of a 2004 California law that mandates family leave. Abramowitz and Dillender found that between 2006 and 2016, older adults spent 19 fewer hours per year caring for grandchildren and 20 more hours per year caring for their own parents.
Caregiving has become a more urgent policy issue because of the growing number of Americans who feel that they belong to a “sandwich generation” of people who have to take care of their children or grandchildren and their parents at the same time.
Original research:
Joelle Abramowitz & Marcus Dillender (2023). Effects of California’s Paid Family Leave Law on Caregiving by Older Adults. Journal of Aging & Social Policy