Heavy Burden of the ‘Sandwich Generation’

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

Job seekers scan the barcode of the job service link at the job fair held at the MNC Festival Job Fair, Jakarta, on Sunday (11/3/2019).

As many as 56 million productive age Indonesians are part of the "sandwich generation": They must support their children as well as their parents.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Members of the “sandwich generation” form the backbone of their families, placing them under pressure, as they are sandwiched between two generations pinch. On the one hand, they have to support the needs of their children, while on the other, they must support the lives of people in the generation above them, especially their parents. Some also help cover the needs of their siblings and other members of the extended family.

In many cases, they must work extra hard without the space to design the future of their own families, which are expected to be more prosperous.

Proportionately applying this to the country’s working age population totaling 206 million people, an estimated 56 million people fall within the sandwich generation.

A portrait of the Indonesian sandwich generation was captured in a survey conducted by Kompas Research & Development on 9-11 Aug. 2022 involving 504 respondents in 34 provinces. The survey results showed that 67 percent of the respondents admitted that they bore the burden of being part of the sandwich generation. Proportionately applying this to the country’s working age population totaling 206 million people, an estimated 56 million people fall within the sandwich generation.

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In terms of age groups, the members of the sandwich generation come from several generations, from generations Z, Y, and X to baby boomers. However, the facts show that the majority fall within the Gen Y group (24-39 years) at 43.6 percent, followed by the Gen X group (40-55) at 32.6 percent. At least 16.3 percent of the sandwich generation is found among Gen Zers (below 24), who are categorized as young workers.

In terms of socioeconomic status, the majority (44.8 percent) of Indonesia's sandwich generation is found in the lower middle class at, followed by 36.2 percent in the lower class. The financial assistance they provide to members of their extended family is generally intended for basic needs, namely food.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Infrastructure project workers ride on trucks as they head to their work location on Jalan TB Simatupang, Cilandak, South Jakarta, on Tuesday (23/10/2018).

This portrait of the sandwich generation is reflected by Dedi Ardila (28), an outsourced office boy at a Jakarta company who has a salary of Rp 4.4 million. Every month, he must set aside Rp 2.5 million of his salary to cover the daily needs of the six people who live in his house: his wife and children, his parents-in-laws, a brother-in-law and himself. He uses the rest of his salary to pay for utilities, transportation from his home to the office, and other necessities.

“I also set aside Rp 200,000 for my parents. Once, my parents asked for Rp 500,000 to pay the mortgage on their motorcycle. My monthly budget ran out immediately,” Dedi said on Monday (5/9/2022). When he ran out of money, Dedi had no choice but to borrow money from a permanent employee at the office where he works.

The same pressures of the sandwich generation is also felt by Haidi (37), a resident of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, who works as a mobile phone and laptop repairman and earns around Rp 2.5 million per month.

He uses the money to pay for his children's school fees and utility bills as well as to support his aging mother. “A month's income is used up in a single month, like digging a hole to fill another hole. I can never save," he said.

Fahim (28), a vegetable trader in Malang, East Java, feels the same way. He also covers his family’s needs and supports his parents and in-laws. The man from Pamekasan, Madura, earns a daily wage of Rp 150,000-Rp 200,000.

“The average daily need is Rp 150,000 to Rp 200,000. Even the vegetables [we eat daily] come from the vegetables I sell.”

In addition, he has to pay a monthly rent of Rp 750,000 for the boarding room where he lives. He also sends money of between Rp 300,000 and Rp 500,000 per month each to his parents and in-laws, who live in the countryside.

She is supporting her mother as well as seven younger siblings, at least until they graduate university and get married.

Lita Susilawati (48) also bears the burden of being part of the sandwich generation. Lita, who runs a juice and instant noodle shop in Palmerah, Jakarta, has been her family’s backbone since her father died in 2003. She is supporting her mother as well as seven younger siblings, at least until they graduate university and get married.

"Before the pandemic, every week I sent Rp 1 million-Rp 2 million to mamah [mother]. Afterward, mamah manages [the money] for herself and my younger siblings’ needs,” said Lita, who also supports her own family along with her husband.

However, after the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the income from her stall fell drastically. As a result, she can no longer cover the needs of her younger siblings and mother.

Financial planner Ike Noorhayati Hamdan said that ideally, household expenditures should break down into 40 percent for living expenses, 30 percent for productive and consumption expenditure, 20 percent for investment, and 10 percent for other expenses, including supporting parents and members of the extended family.

“However, this scheme cannot be applied to people with very low incomes. What can you plan? You just don't have the money. What can be done at the very least is to keep spending to a minimum and try to increase income, for example from side jobs,” he said.

Social frustration

Tantan Hermansah, a sociologist from Jakarta State Islamic University, said that the fate of Indonesia’s sandwich generation, especially those with low incomes, was very worrying. Their circumstances forced them to work hard without ever achieving an adequate level of welfare.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Workers complete shoe production in the shoe-making industry in Cikupa, Tangerang, Banten, on Tuesday (30/4/2019).

Their income is used up to cover the needs of their family and extended family. They have no room to save or to invest. In fact, some of them do not have money for recreational activities to escape the stress of life. The pressures they face have only grown since the fuel hike.

At the same time, they see people showing off their affluent lifestyles on social media. They probably have dreams of savoring or following such a lifestyle, but the distance between their dreams and reality is very great.

“Imagine, there are a lot of people in this trapped generation. They may not be happy. They continue to work but they don’t prosper, just like a machine. They want to enjoy entertainment, but don’t have the funds. I worry that the accumulated stress of the sandwich generation could explode into social frustration,” he said.

Tantan said that many young people nowadays were starting to think hard before deciding to start a family because they were worried about the economic burden they might have to bear. If they delayed marriage too long, society would feel the impact in the future.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Job seekers hunt for job vacancies in the Topkarir Expo, a job fair held by the Topkarir job vacancy site at the Smesco Building, Jakarta, on Friday (11/16/2018).

“Those who marry later are at a less productive age when they have children. Later, they will be dependent on their children. So, the burdens of the sandwich generation will be passed down to their children. If you are poor, poverty will continue," he said.

Tantan hopes that the issue of the sandwich generation gets attention, but thus far, the issue has been widely discussed only on social media. (DIA/JUM/NAW/DWA/DOE/BSW)

(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)