“I wake up in the morning just to survive,” said an elderly aunt in an online discussion forum who has to work to support her adult son and his children because they cannot afford to repay a loan. This highlights the struggle faced by the “sandwich generation” — individuals who must care for both their ageing parents and their children at the same time. Dividing limited resources between parents, children, and themselves is far from easy. In economic terms, if resources are allocated to one group more than another, someone inevitably suffers, reflecting the concept of Pareto optimality.
Under this pressure, many are forced to confront the reality of sacrifice. As seen in the thread, one commenter noted, “this is reducing their ability to save for retirement,” while another observed, “some people inevitably compromise on themselves…” The sense of being stuck is common, and these difficult trade-offs often weigh heavily on life decisions. Some even suggest avoiding adding new responsibilities entirely, with blunt advice like, “don’t have kids. problem solved.”
The sandwich generation is not new in Singapore. Three years ago, a survey conducted by St. James’s Place Asia and cited by Singapore Business Review found that over six in ten middle-aged adults felt their financial achievements were sacrificed due to caregiving, with two-thirds saying supporting parents reduced savings for retirement and children, and nearly four in five reporting pressure from investing in their children’s future. These trends continue today. A 2026 retirement survey conducted by Sun Life Singapore and reported by Singapore Business Review found that 45% of high-income workers are postponing retirement partly due to supporting both ageing parents and young dependents, with many planning to continue working and provide financial support even beyond retirement.
With Singapore’s competitive environment, limited resources, and high cost of living, these pressures are clearly growing. However, acknowledging the challenge is easier said than done. Those living it are often struggling in survival mode, with little opportunity to seek help. In this context, sacrifices have effectively become the norm.
The Verdict: We need more than handouts
The reality is a Pareto trap: every dollar spent on a child’s future is a dollar taken from a parent’s medical fund. While Budget 2026 has taken steps by injecting additional funding and expanding income thresholds for subsidies, these measures remain largely reactive.
To truly support the sandwich generation, we need structural reform, not just fiscal top-ups. For example, the government could consider encouraging flexible working hours or providing incentives for long-term flexible work arrangements tailored to caregivers. As Singapore faces both sides of the problem, an ageing population and low fertility rates partly driven by the burden on the sandwich generation, it is clear that the core structural pressures on middle-aged caregivers remain largely unaddressed.
