Exploring Young Chinese Workers’ Sandwich Care Experiences Through a Confucian Ethic of Care Lens

This article examines sandwich caregiving in mainland China, with a focus on how culturally specific norms shape the experiences of young working sandwich caregivers. By employing a Confucian ethic of care perspective, the article broadens the notion of sandwich caregiving from the current focus on tasks related to daily living, to the underpinning social and moral obligations that shape caregiving within the Chinese cultural context. The study draws on interviews with 40 young working sandwich caregivers living in multigenerational households. The findings show how Confucian notions of goodness (ren) and behavioural prescriptions (li) guide sandwich caregiving in contemporary China, where young working sandwich caregivers navigate tensions between traditional values and changing roles in a rapidly changing society, while managing work and family obligations. The article enriches the sandwich care literature by demonstrating a shift in the understanding of sandwich caregiving from attending to individual needs to maintaining social harmony.