Generationing relations in challenging times Americans and Canadians in midlife in the Great Recession Current Sociology 61 3 301321 Survey of a few individuals in mid life who ID: 930928
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Slide1
McDaniel, S.A., et al (2013).
Generationing
relations in challenging times: Americans and Canadians in mid-life in the Great Recession,
Current Sociology,
61 (3) 301-321
.
Survey of a few individuals in
mid-
life who
are affected by the shock of the 2008 economic crisis
– comparing those in US and in Canada
US: greater impact and hardships due to:
home
foreclosures,
bank and personal bankruptcies
,
high unemployment
and
increasing # of people who fell into
poverty.
Canada: Is a contrast to the US due to a different financial system with safeguards:
Fewer home
foreclosures,
fewer
bankruptcies and
much less levels of unemployment
.
Slide2Baby boomers born between 1946-1964 :
78mill
Gen X born early1960 to early 1980s: 48mill
Gen Y also called
Millennials
: born early 1980s to the early 2000 77mill
Gen
y characteristics -
diversity-
a mix of minorities (ethnicity, race etc.) By 2016 they will be 1 in 3
of the US
population
$325 billion in spending power
Gen Z born mid-2000 to now
Slide3Generationing
: Generation as a notion is attributed to a process that begins during the formative years and continues through other stages of life
During one’s formative years, i.e., life’s crucial stages that define historical, social and biographical experiences, generation building occurs. These experiences
formed during
the youthful period
become
a specific common generational view. Thus these experiences are the basis of the process called
generationing
.
(
Alanen
, L. (2001). Childhood as generational condition: Children’s daily lives in central Finland town. In L.
Alanen
& B.
Mayal
(Eds.), Conceptualizing child-adult relations (pp. 129–143). London:
Routledge
.)
Slide4Generationing
is used to study:
Multigenerations
’ experiences of the historical and social events and the techno-cultural milieu in which they live
They are expressed in the collective narrative of the generations’ memories and how they frame their interpretations of the times in which they have experienced these events
These influence the way they live and would continue to live in the future
One generation’s experiences also become shared experiences of the earlier and the following generations’ experiences
However, the shared narratives and memories are different for different generations.
The same decade of history may be narrated or remembered differently depending on one’s generational belonging.
Generationing
as a process produces a generational identity i.e., self definitions are integrated to form this identity. Identity with one’s own generation and differentiating from other generations.
Slide5McDaniel et al (2013) compares: those
in mid-life in working and middle classes in
similar medium
-sized cities in the two
countries
during 2008 -2010
Economic crisis 2008 and it’s shock:
Powerfully shaped and changed the lives of the mid-generations and others connected to their lives
Also it affected the processes
of
generationing
in both Canada and, more significantly
in
US:
Strong impact on their families and the society’s cohesion
and
order
.
Slide6How and why: In their midlife, how did the
demands of older and younger
generations affected them and why?
Interviews done in 2008 - the
housing bubble burst and financial markets in the US
slumped through
spring 2010.
It was not just a market crisis but an economic crisis that spread
beyond the housing and financial sectors in the US
It left millions without jobs and threatened entitlements: pensions,
Millions in US and elsewhere, lost their life savings and destroyed the international confidence in the soundness of the AIC’s economies
Slide7US
and
Canada:
US:
Steep and unalterable rise in long term chronic unemployment
Long term persistence of record number of unemployed,
still plaguing the US
Rise of ghost towns and empty
neighbourhoods
due to housing market collapse and mortgage defaults and housing
foreclosures
Poverty and
inequality: Already high inequality in the US compared to other OECD countries, now became worse
Slide8Canada relatively escaped the crisis, unscathed
Slide9L
ife
course perspective and structures of social
inequality:
The
life course
perspective examines and explains people’s and their social experiences as processes from birth to death
Life
course
perspective narratives can be grouped under:
path dependency
gravity
shocks
We can see Path dependency
as one’s
early
transitions into adult statuses, e.g.
having family, children earlier, finding a job and entering workforce with less education
,
confront
life-long adverse
circumstances.
Others who delay these experiences of adulthood and enter it when they have
resources,
find themselves experience
less life course adversity
Path
dependency
has adverse impact on one’s early
life course transitions
and it is hard
to overcome
.
Slide10Gravity: Powerful forces of social disadvantage, e.g., unequal
access to resources, living in poverty,
marginalization- these impede and arrest the development of individuals even if they have made sound life choices
There is a
gravity
pull of adverse situations they have experienced that clings to them and are extremely hard to overcome even with education. Inequality persists and intensifies while other enabling forces are weaker or become unavailable.
Shocks: Whether these are individual or socioeconomic may occur unexpectedly and their impacts are severe
.
Preparedness, savings, social supports can help to temper shocks.
Slide11During the 1929-32 Great Depression – impacts were transformative and long lasting life course experiences.
The impact of the 2008 economic crisis as a life course shock on those in mid-life their perception of changes in
generationing
with those
that they are connected in their lives.
This articles studies the perception of those in midlife of their generational life changing impacts in a US-Can comparative context
It does not study or compare the effects of shocks on different generations
.
Slide12Slide13In US , among mid-lifers: unemployment seems lower than in Canada
In Canada: Higher
labour
market participation
US-Can: Contrasts in
mortgage arrears and in
home
foreclosure rates
.
39% of
American households
with somebody unemployed
,
debt (negative equity) on
their homes, or
defaulted or in arrears
on house payments.
US: low or no expectations on reliability of their economic performance or
stock
market, recovery in housing or job markets
Uncertain
future: Insecure later years in the Great
Recession
US: Biggest concerns is uncertainty of employment: job loss, esp. those whose health insurance is linked to their job – will the job lost until retirement if one has a job?
US & Can: Classes – middle vs. working classes – distinctly different retirement concerns between the two classes - middle
-class
is more confident but
working-class
members are uncertain/fearful of jobs and of any prospects of retirement funds
Canadian
middle-class
– more optimistic in their concerns on retirement, but increasingly they fear that their prospects may decline with a declining economy.
Canadian mid-lifers feel concerned about that
Increasing
cost of living and declining returns from investments and RRSPs and know that this
will have
generationing
implications, i.e., their linked family next generation members will have to be supported.
Slide17Comparison (cont’d)
US: Middle
-class
families face housing and real estate
price declines,
increasing cost of health
care
and
uncertain future of
Social
Security
Can:
Working-class
is not financially ready or preparing for retirement or planning for old age – in US and in Canada, working class wishes to continue working if there is a job for them and to take one day at a time as they live pay to pay left with nothing to save.
Slide18US:
Working-class
say that they will will
be financially worse off than their
earlier generations. Their parents had good jobs had better and dependable govt. support
programmes
– had affordable housing pensions Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.
Mid-life middle class US people say that they are more secure when compared to what the working class counterparts say.
They feel that they would be better off than their parent’s.
Middle-class
feel more confident
than
the working
-class
that
they will be in
a better
positions in their later years than the preceding generation
.
Canada
: Middle-class
Canadians
, in contrast,
doubt whether
their security would
continue under the
global financial
stress
– a mixed view compared to their parent’s generation
If it is an immigrant and their parents are from the III world, Canada feels like a security-ensuring country even under the fin crisis.
Slide19Younger generation and their life course expectations:
Both mid
-life Canadian
and Americans seriously worry about their lack of financial security
of
their relatives of the younger generation.
While middle
-class
persons are concerned,
working-class
individuals fear how their children will be able to face their future in such a declining economy.
Working
-class
Americans are anxious and frustrated that the next generation - their younger
relatives would
encounter worsening economic
and political contexts
that would be
unfavourable
to
them. Likely economic
recession,
disappearing or diminishing
social
programmes
, absence of good
jobs and
retirement with pension.
Can: Immigrants from poorer countries find Canada as a heaven even under fin stress. Canadian
working-class
immigrants say that they
expect that their children’s later years will be better
off .
Slide201. US: Midlife middle and working class reaction:
Distrust or openly hostile to their government
High in anxiety
and
sense of insecurity
about health care and Social Security
Angry that the
govt
is worsening the prospects of the next generation- the youth
Fear of losing their health
insurance
2. Canadian middle class: are concerned about
Pension value and sustainability
Changing eligibility to qualify for old age security
Working
-class
Canadians fear government’s
plan to increase the minimum age of eligibility, and
reduction in benefits
.
3. All Canadians are worried about cutbacks in public
programme
.
4. In contrast to the Americans, Canadians do not see the govt. as the main problem but the 2008 crisis as the problem particularly for the increasing cost of living and housing
Slide21Generationing
through difficult transitions
Canadian and
Americans in
mid-
life:
Support significantly with
financial
help
to younger generations but rarely
get financial support
from younger or older
generation of relatives
.
deeply
worried about their own
future years
.
working
-class American
expect that they would ask for help
from their own and their spouse’s siblings or same-generation
relatives if they are in dire straights.
In financial
difficulties,
both Can and American hope to
receive support from family, younger, older and same
generation. But few will ask friends
or
colleagues.
Slide22(cont’d)
Generationing
might tie multiple generations and drag them all financially down as they turn to support each other.
Co-residency of adult children with their parents is a common pattern .
US: Co-residency of generations can provide temporary shelter at difficult life course transitions - working-class American, provides support for her son who is recovering from a serious car accident
Returning to the parental home during a life transition, such as work relocation, schooling, or union dissolution, helps adult children financially and emotionally
Slide23Their views on the younger (Next) generation:
More and lengthy period of education and training before jobs
Cost of housing rising beyond their ability to get one
Joblessness or temp jobs
Little or diminishing access
to social
support or security, benefits
The youth will be less independent due to these circumstances
Live with parents
Mid
-life parents
as the only fin support to the transition of their young adults
Even
after they move out of the parental
home, parental support is necessary.
During the recession, household debt rose to a record high level in both
countries:
2009: American
household debt-to-income
ratio:
over 160%
Canadian household debt
over 140%
.
Grandparenting
regular childcare (anticipated and actual) for grandchildren
Both Can and American: Mid
-
lifers rarely move in with their parents – the older generation
Slide24Canadians: When the parent’s generations
age,
Midlifers
expect that they would have to provide personal help and support for daily chores and care
This is
significantly
based on gender specific allocation of work – women frequently support physically and personally with instrumental
support to older generations. When
parents face difficulties with
physical mobility, their mid-life daughters or daughters-in-law
support them.
Men
M
idlifers
help with regular
phone calls, visits, or advice.
Mid-life
Canadians
worry
that social
and community support systems are disappearing due to austerity cutbacks to
programmes
.
Slide25More middle-class
Canadian than
working-class
mid-lifers
feel that the older generation needs better services , more and better affordable seniors’ housing, transportation, homecare, meals on wheels, caregiver support and emotional/social support.
Americans: do not anticipate any improvement in social services other than what they have due to the crisis. They worry that the
existing
and limited
Medicare/Medicaid
and social security might decline or disappear. They rely on family support, have few expectations about support beyond basic health and social security
programme
.
Slide26Conclusion:
US & Can: Generations are radically affected during and after the economic recession. Especially the middle
-class
youth are insulated
by the processes of
generationing
as they are being supported by their parental generation. In contrast, the working
-class youth are
not insulated
by
the
generationing
, and therefore they fall into further unequal opportunity trap as social
inequalities
widen in society.
In US: younger
middle-class
generations who gain from generational transfer of support of different kinds are at risk. Their
support other than
generational
is diminishing. Mid-
lifers work
hard to
compensate for the impact of economic
recession on younger generations, even
as they themselves do not feel that there is security in their own future.
Canadian mid-
lifers are mildly touched by the crisis relative to their American counterparts
–
Canadians are less
hard
hit,
but
are quite concerned about their own
future
as
they
age. They are worried that they may not be able to help their younger and older relatives in financial straights as they themselves may be depleted of resources. The
exception is Canadian immigrants,
Slide27US: Deepening crisis in generations’ vulnerability as more reliance is occurring on the
midlifers
’ transfers
of
economic, financial
,
physical and emotional support,
i.e
,.
intra-generational transfers
It can be found that
Generationing
processes
occur on
two
levels
1. From mid
-lifers to younger
generations- it is more resourceful and generous
in Canada
compared to that
in the US.
Slide282.
Generationing
occurs in the form of greater family reliance as a kind of insurance against risk while the state support is shrinking (
esp.in
the US). In Canada, the basic levels of support, i.e., they could rely on as universal health care and social benefits help mid-life Canadians and their disadvantaged situation in times of recession. Americans do not have such basic needs filled and the public is unsure of the minimally existing
programmes
as a result of the crisis. This makes intergenerational reliance of Americans on their families and thus more interdependent.
For immigrants,
generationing
in both countries refer to their home country in feeling more secure in their adopted countries.