[*StarDust*]

It's more satisfying to be a mother than worker



Despite our nation's total fertility rate being at a dismal low of 1.28, 75 per cent of Singaporean women who do have babies say they find it satisfying to be a mum.

This finding - among others - were revealed in a study done by Grey Group. The study was conducted across 16 countries in Asia that included Vietnam,
Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Philippines, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan and

Korea. And it is mums in the developing markets who derive more satisfaction from their motherhood roles than women in affluent markets.

Among Singaporean mums, the number of women who find satisfaction in their roles as mothers was higher than the total average of 62 per cent across

all the countries included in the study.

Before becoming mothers, women often adopted a 'me first' attitude, spending their income on their own fashion, appearance, social engagements and

focusing their attention on work. But family will come first if children did come along and other plans are placed on the backburner.

But deriving more satisfaction out of their parenting roles did not mean less stress for the women, as many non-working mothers find that they have no

choice but to return to or enter the workforce as raising children in a modern-day environment necessitated dual-income households, when they would

rather be at home to witness the growth and development of their children. In Singapore, 94 per cent of the women surveyed shared this sentiment,

which was only slightly higher than the total Asian average of 89 per cent.

But upon going to work, mothers across Asia feel that they do not spend enough time with their children, as they are often too busy.

Another finding that may not be so surprising is that the availability of social support for mothers is strongly linked to their satisfaction levels.

In countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the level of satisfaction correlated with the perceived amount of support the women felt they

received from society. In these countries, satisfaction levels reached more than 80 per cent, whereas in more developed economies such as Taiwan,

Japan and Korea, less than 20 per cent of mums felt they received adequate support from society and satisfaction levels were less than 30 per cent.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/4971