The complex dynamics of caregiving within families, especially for the “sandwich generation” juggling the care of both children and elderly parents, is a growing concern amongst Singaporean youths. The fifth episode of the "IPS On Diversity" Season 4, hosted by Liang Kaixin, explores the challenges faced by the “sandwich generation” and possible solutions.

In conjunction with IPS’ annual flagship conference, Singapore Perspectives 2024, themed around the topic of youths, this episode features Dr Tan Poh Lin, IPS Senior Research Fellow, and Jason Leow, a youth caregiver who is also the sole breadwinner. They explore how younger generations, like Jason, balance the responsibilities of caring for their ageing parents while raising their own children, often within the same household. This setup reflects a shift in Singapore's social structure, where traditional extended family support is evolving in the face of modern living constraints and societal changes.

The discussion also touches on the emotional and financial aspects of caregiving, the impact of caregiving on women’s work and life satisfaction, and the role of government and community in supporting caregivers. Dr Tan and Jason provide insights into the realities of intergenerational care, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to address the challenges faced by today’s sandwich generation in Singapore.

Find out more about adulting and housing in Singapore:

• Straits Times (28 June 2023): Caught in the middle: How the sandwich generation can ease the squeeze  
• Channel News Asia (28 September 2022): Sandwich generation: How can those caring for the elderly and children take care of their finances?
• Straits Times (5 September 2021): Courses and support networks help young caregivers facing burnout

About our guests: 

Tan Poh Lin, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies  

Tan Poh Lin is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Governance and Economy Department. Her research focuses on women’s fertility, health and work-life balance in the contexts of extremely low fertility rates in Singapore and Asia. She is Principal Investigator of the Singapore Time to Conception Study and Youth Outlook on Life Opportunities study. She serves as the Secretary of the Population Association of Singapore.

Previously, she was a population policy officer at the National Population Secretariat (now the National Population and Talent Division) within the Prime Minister’s Office in Singapore. She obtained her PhD in Public Policy from Duke University and Bachelor’s in Economics from Princeton University.

Jason Leow, Youth Caregiver

 Jason has been self-employed in the design industry for 10 years. He is the sole breadwinner for a household of five, including two elderly parents, spouse, and toddler.

More from On Diversity

• Season 4 Episode 4: Home Alone and Adulting with Chew Han Ei, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at IPS and Klinsen Soh
• Season 4 Episode 3: Hustle Culture and Quiet Quitting with Laurel Teo, Senior Research Fellow at IPS and He Ruiming, Founder of The Woke Salaryman
• Season 4 Episode 2: Destigmatising HIV and AIDS with Rayner Tan, Assistant Professor of NUS and Terry Lim, Associate Director of Action for AIDS
• Season 4 Episode 1: The Dual Challenges of Poverty and Single Motherhood with Carrie Tan, MP, Founder of Daughters of Tomorrow and Elizabeth Quek, Programme Manager at AWARE
• Season 3 Episode 9: Being Biracial in Singapore with Shane Pereira, Research Associate at IPS and Dave Parkash, Co-Founder at Fook Kin Restaurant
• Season 3 Episode 8: Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination with Sher-li Torrey, Founder of Mums@Work and Kalpana Vignehsa, Senior Research Fellow at IPS
• Season 3 Episode 7: Palliative Care for the Young and Old with Dr Chong Poh Heng, Medical Director at HCA Hospice Limited and Tay Jia Ying, an end-of-life doula and Founder of Happy Ever After
• Season 3 Episode 6: Social Worker Burnout with Louis Ng, MP for Nee Soon GRC and Cindy Ng-Tay, Director of Home at Children’s Aid Society