Photo 26: Elder Care

Photo 26: I didn't actually take this photo but I knew I wanted to include a photo of my grandma and some family. My grandma is the cute old lady in the back right corner (in white). She is in her mid-seventies (almost 75!). This was in 2010 when my aunt in middle and cousin (blonde) went to visit my cousin's then-boyfriend (the only male) who was graduating from the Navy. My grandma has been living with my oldest aunt (the woman with the glasses).

Sociological Perspective: Looking at my own family, my grandma has lived with her middle daughter, my mom (youngest daughter) has subsidized my grandma's housing, and now my grandma is living with her oldest daughter. All of her daughters at some point have found caring for my grandma to be a "burden." She can be a rather difficult lady but she is a wonderful grandma! There are no boys in the family, only daughters. In families where there are sons and daughters, why do daughters traditionally take on the burden of taking care of parents? How do sibling relationships change when one sibling takes on more responsibility for a parent than other siblings? How has society socialized women to be "nurturers" not just of their children but of their parents too? What sorts of programs and medical assistance is available to help caretakers take care of the elderly, if any?

Analysis: Margolies discusses how fifty years ago, few middle-aged people had frail, elderly parents. But now, nearly 90% of baby boomers have elderly parents. With the advancements in technology and public health, people are living longer and the sandwich generation is having to care for their own children and their parents. More elderly people are choosing to live independently, but when someone is taking care of them, Margolies says, it is typically the daughters. Margolies argues that daughters are socialized to be nurturers and due to this socialization it is expected that daughters will assume this care taking role. Margolies also discusses how as a result of care taking being a primarily female job, it is devalued and gets little recognition beyond the family sphere.