MIDDLE & LATER LIFE

Unit 5 – Chapter 12

The Dual-Earner Family

• The traditional “breadwinner” and “housewife” roles are no longer economically viable

• Single-earner families are 3 times more likely than dual-earner families to be poor

• In the past, married men were paid wages based on the assumption that they were supporting a family, but the family wage has disappeared since women began to enter the workforce in the 1960s

The Dual-Earner Family• In 1995, a family required the income from 77

weeks’ labour, and poorer families needed the income from 85 weeks to maintain the family lifestyle

• Having a sole earner in a family has been a major risk for poverty since the 1980s

• Because there are no economic rewards for the traditional male breadwinner role in the family, it will soon disappear, the results of Canada’s 2006 census suggests this trend

The Dual-Earner Family• Time and money required for raising children

when both parents work motivate couples to have less children than families in which there is a stay at home parent

• Men do not miss the power that they had in the patriarchal family model

• However, men now compete with women for jobs and do more work at home than in the past

• Working women improve the family income and reduce the stress on men to be the sole provider

Work-Family Balance

• The shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a knowledge- and service-based economy means that the Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, 40-hour workweek is gone

• The average workweek has increased• In 2005, 25% of workers spent 10 hours or

more each day on their job• Technologies that enable individuals to work

anytime and anywhere have led to a longer workday and more take-home work

Work-Family Balance

• A growing number of individuals work from home

• The separation of work and home is now blurred

• Non-standard work hours can require careful scheduling of family time and reduce the amount of time families spend together

• Atypical jobs create instability and financial insecurity for individuals and families

Work-Family Balance• In the traditional patriarchal model, a man’s job

was his primary role because it provided the economic support for his family

• The wife’s role was to manage the household and care for the family

• In the current dual-earner family, both partners are likely to bring home work-related stress, yet the demands of managing the household and raising children together may leave less time for the social and emotional support they need

• Stable families are essential for a healthy economy

Middle Adulthood

• Middle age is defined as the stage of life from 45 to 64 years of age

• As Canadians delay the major transitions of life, the traditional image of middle age as the time when children “are launched from the nest” and parents settle down to wait for grandchildren no longer fits the lifestyle of middle-aged Canadians

Middle Adulthood

• Majority of Canadians are working in middle age

• Some are preparing for their retirement, but they do not expect to retire until they are in their 60s

• They still have children living at home and their parents are aging

Middle Adulthood

• Relationships within families change in middle adulthood

• As children are launched from the family to begin independent lives in their own households the family structure changes

• A major role of women in midlife is that of kin-keeper, one who will organize family events and maintain contact with family members

Middle Adulthood

• However, as women take on broader roles in the workplace and the community, their traditional role as kin-keeper may be affected

• Men may take on some of these responsibilities as part of the changing role they play when their wives are working

• Sibling relationships become closer in middle adulthood, perhaps because they no longer feel the need to compete

The Sandwich Generation

• An increasing number of adults are providing some care to aging parents

• In addition, emerging adults tend to remain at home longer

• As a result, parents who delayed childbearing until their late 20s or early 30s may have adult children at home until they are almost 60

• Those who have responsibilities for children and aging parents are referred to as the sandwich generation

The Sandwich Generation

• Women in midlife shoulder most of the burden of caring for older parents who become physically dependent on others

• Women are more likely to work part-time to accommodate their caregiving responsibilities

• Caregiving is defined as providing care to a family member who is suffering from a physical or mental disability, is chronically ill, or frail

The Sandwich Generation

• In some cases, care becomes a full- time responsibility

• Social polices in Canada assume that the family will take care of its dependent members in the same way that they take care of children

• Those being cared for include older parents, ill or frail spouses and disabled children

The Sandwich Generation

• Most Canadians report that they would prefer not to be cared for by their families if physical care becomes necessary, but sometimes their financial situation leaves no other option

• Because of the improved life expectancy of older Canadians, their physical dependency often coincides with the retirement of their caregivers

The Sandwich Generation• In some cases, individuals take early

retirement to be available to care for a spouse or parent

• Although caregiving can be both socially and financially beneficial for dependents; loss of employment , increase in part- time work, or early retirement can have long-term effects on the middle-aged caregiver’s income and pension

Becoming Grandparents• The role of grandparent developed in the

20th century, when couples had children while they were young, when their children married younger and had children even earlier than their parents did, and when people lived longer

• In the 1980s, many Canadians became grandparents in their 40s and 50s, so grandparents were younger, probably working and living active, independent lives

Becoming Grandparents• Only 3% of Canadians under the age of 50

are grandparents now, by age 60 half of these individuals have grandchildren and by 70 over 80% of older adults are grandparents

• On average, grandparents have 4.7 grandchildren

• Although 1 in 5 children have no contact with a grandparent, 40% see them at least once a month

• Grandparents serve an important role in the socialization of grandchildren

Becoming Grandparents

• Grandparents provide a valuable role as family historian, linking children with their family’s ethnic and cultural past

• Grandparents serve as role models for older adulthood and may counteract the stereotypical images of later life

• They may act as mentors who are experienced in life transitions within the family

Becoming Grandparents• Grandparents might receive more

affection and recognition from their grandchildren than they did from their children because they are free of the obligation to be a disciplinarian

• If grandparents and grandchildren form a cross-generational alliance when there is conflict between parent and child, they can interfere with the parent’s ability to raise their child independently

Care of Children by Grandparents• One of the challenges that grandparents face

when providing childcare is that the child’s parents want their help but not their advice

• This makes it difficult for grandparents to set rules and guidelines for their grandchildren

• Grandparents who live in the same household as their grandchildren tend to take on a greater role in the lives of their grandchildren

Care of Children by Grandparents

• It is common for grandparents to share the home of lone parents, these grandparents tend to be younger than those who share a home with two-parent families

• Immigrant families are twice as likely to have a grandparent living in the home

• First nations children are also more likely to have a grandparent living in the home

Care of Children by Grandparents• In immigrant and First Nations families,

passing on family heritage and culture are important roles that grandparents play in their lives

• In families of African descent, grandmothers especially play an important role in the raising of children

• There is a strong belief that children benefit from intergenerational caretaking

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren• Since the 1980s, there has been an increase in

the number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren

• They have been called custodial grandparents• Some of the reasons grandparents are

raising grandchildren are drug or alcohol abuse of the parents, teen pregnancy, divorce, incarcerated parents and death of a parent, many of these issues are related to poverty

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

• Grandparents who are sole caregivers are faced with issues such as poor health, lack of energy and often depression

• Gender plays a role in households with custodial grandparents, more of these families are female-headed and tend to be poorer than male-headed custodial-grandparent families

Retirement

• Retirement is another 20th century development resulting from the increase in life expectancy

• Retirement is defined as voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from the workplace

• Since the age of retirement is 65 in Canada, it has also served as an informal rite of passage into later life for Canadians

Retirement

• Although almost half of Canadians plan to retire before age 65, 25% plan to retire at age 65 and many have no plans to retire

• Canadians may be starting to delay retirement just as they have delayed other transitions in the life course

• Retirement is promoted as the “golden years,” in which working people are rewarded for years of labour by having years of leisure

Retirement• Mandatory retirement ensured that

older workers left the workplace so that middle-aged workers could take their place and vacate entry-level positions intended for emerging adults

• When the older generation is smaller than the successive generations, as was the case in the 70s and 80s, retirement eases the intergenerational conflict for job opportunities

• Since workers are paid more for their seniority, early retirement can reduce the labour costs for employers

Retirement

• Retirement as the norm for adults in their late 50s or early 60s raises some stereotypes about the productivity of older workers and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to find jobs

• However research on the workplace roles of middle-aged adults suggests that they exhibit more productivity, less absenteeism and greater participation

Retirement• Early-retirement plans were implemented in

the 90s to enable the large baby-boom generation to move into senior positions and give the smaller baby-bust generation some mobility

• Now in the 21st century, companies encourage the baby-boomers to retire early to make room at the bottom of the career ladder for the larger echo-boom generation entering the workplace

Baby Boom Generation

Baby Bust Generation / Generation X

Echo Baby Boom Generation / Generation Y

Retirement• There was concern about the cost of paying

pensions to a larger retired population from the pension plans to which they contributed while working

• This concern inspired Canada to end mandatory retirement to encourage older workers not to retire

• In 2009, all provinces ended mandatory retirement so that Canadians could continue working beyond 65 years of age

Retirement Income• At retirement, individuals experience

a dramatic change in lifestyle and a reduced income

• All working Canadians are required to pay Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) premiums and receive a pension based on total earnings when they reach 65 years old

• Canadians are also encouraged to invest money in Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), which are investment funds that are tax-sheltered until they are with drawn for income, usually during retirement

Retirement Income• Currently, fewer younger Canadians have

occupational pension plans, perhaps because of the decline in stable, unionized employment in larger companies

• This could reduce retirement income if it is not offset by individuals investing independently for their retirement using RRSPs

• Preparing for retirement income is now considered a long-term financial responsibility that should be undertaken by individuals in early adulthood

Seniors in Canada

• Individuals aged 65 and older are called seniors in Canada

• There are more seniors in Canada than ever before

• People aged 65 and older are currently 13.7% of the Canadian population (2009)

• Canadians who are 65 years old can expect to live an average of another 19.2 years

Seniors in Canada

• Women continue to have a longer life expectancy than men, although the gap in life expectancy is narrowing

• Most seniors are living independently in their own homes and this number is increasing

• Almost half of all seniors are living with a spouse

• Only 7% of seniors live in a nursing home or similar institutions

1. Divide yourselves up into 5 Groups.2. Choose an article.3. Read the article with your group.4. As a group come up with a question

about the article that would generate discussion.

5. Be prepared to share your article and question with your peers.