压力大的“多层三明治一代”

我们管“上有老，下有小”的中年一代叫做“三明治一代（sandwich generation）”，生动地描述了他们被夹在中间的困境。如今，随着人类寿命延长，不少五十多岁的人家里除了要照看孩子和孙子，还有年迈的父母需要照顾，压力比“三明治一代”还要大，因此被称为“多层三明治”（club-sandwich）。

Club-sandwich generation refers to people who provide care for their parents, children, and grandchildren.

多层三明治一代（club-sandwich generation）指同时要照顾父母、孩子以及孙辈的一代人。

The "sandwich generation" of middle-aged family members who have responsibility for children and aging parents is changing. Due to increased longevity, middle-aged children today are the first to be living in an age where a four- or five-generation family is becoming commonplace. More frequently, adult children in their 50s and 60s who are hoping to retire and enjoy long-anticipated freedom find themselves caught in what is described as a "club sandwich generation," with responsibility for very old parents of their own.

既要养育孩子又要照顾年迈父母的中年“三明治一代”情形正在发生变化。由于寿命延长，中年子女跟四、五代人住在一起的情况也逐渐普遍。更常见的情况是，五六十岁的人们希望退休后可以享受期盼已久的自由时光，结果却发现自己年迈的父母还要人照看，一下子落入了“多层三明治一代”。

The American Association of Retired Persons estimates that 11% of grandparents who are over 50 are helping to raise their grandchildren. Since many of those grandparents also have children and elderly parents to care for, their metaphorical sandwich has an extra layer of bread, making it a club sandwich. You can also call it the triple-decker generation.

美国退休人员协会预计，50岁以上且身为祖父母的人中有11%都在帮着照看孙辈。而他们这些人中很多人同时还要照顾自己的孩子和父母，由此，他们原本所在的“三明治”又多出一层，使得他们成为“多层三明治一代”。

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（中国日报网英语点津 Helen）

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