In search of Filipino “women in the middle”

ABSTRACT The ‘sandwich generation’ is a unique familial position and refers to persons who are expected to care simultaneously for children and older adults in extended families. The non-availability of information about women of this cohort in leading government sources of data and their invisibility in the care work discourse led me to investigate their condition. Data for three census years—1990, 2000, 2010—in the National Capital Region of the Philippines were processed using Stata, a statistical software, to analyze patterns in the numbers and demographic characteristics of these women. The number of such women has grown steadily in 20 years. Female household heads in the sandwich generation are typically middle aged, without partners or spouses, college graduates and homeowners. Female family members in the sandwich generation are typically 30–35 years old, legally married, college graduates, and living in their own homes. By categorizing sex into male and female and not recognizing gender identity and sexual orientation, censuses are largely gender blind. Expanding this research to the entire Philippines and other low-income countries, including LGBTQI persons, and recognizing their unpaid care work may open channels for inclusive global recognition of the sandwich generation and lead to their emancipation and equality.