ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to analyze the position of middle-aged women who are part of multigenerational households. Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews with these women, we investigate how middle-generation women understand their roles in the family and intergenerational relations, how they position themselves in relation to older and younger generations, and how they interpret the responsibilities and expectations and their fulfillment in the context of multigenerational living. What are the pressures, tensions, and advantages of being in the middle? We demonstrate several levels of being “in between” while analyzing the care demands, responsibilities, and expectations that these women experience in daily life. The article investigates three kinds of activities that women perform in multigenerational living: care for people, care for intergenerational family relationships, and care for homes. We conclude that middle-generation women struggle between the drive for independence and the appreciation of interdependency among the generations that is both a burden and a relief.

摘要

本研究的目的是分析属于多代家庭的中年女性的地位。通过对这些女性的 20 次深度访谈，我们调查了中年女性如何理解她们在家庭和代际关系中的角色，她们如何定位自己与老年和年轻一代的关系，以及她们如何解释责任和期望以及她们的在多代人生活的背景下实现。处于中间的压力、紧张和优势是什么？在分析这些女性在日常生活中所经历的护理需求、责任和期望时，我们展示了“介于两者之间”的几个层次。文章调查了女性在多代人生活中进行的三种活动：关爱他人、照顾代际家庭关系，照顾家庭。我们得出的结论是，中年女性在追求独立的动力和对几代人之间相互依赖的欣赏之间挣扎，这既是一种负担，也是一种解脱。