Today more and more parents are combining looking after young children with caring for older or disabled loved ones. This is sometimes called ‘sandwich caring’ or ‘dual caring’ and those who fall under this category are usually referred to as ‘the sandwich generation’. But this dual role can sometimes come at a cost and carers may suffer from ill health, face difficulties to access or stay in the labour market or experience financial hardship.

Employers for Carers and Carers UK conducted this research as an attempt to better understand the extra pressure these dual caring responsibilities have on modern families and their implications for policy, public services, employers and the labour market.