Taiwan white-collar women choose work over motherhood

More than one-fifth of female Taiwanese office workers have no desire to have children, with the financial burden of having a child identified as their biggest concern, a survey indicated.

The survey released by 1111 Job Bank late on Monday polled 874 female office workers, of whom 22 per cent said they had no desire to have children, Xinhua news agency reported.

The respondents named economic pressure, life quality and unclear policy support as their top three concerns.

Among those who wanted to have children, 61 per cent said they wanted to have two, 29 per cent preferred just one.

Moreover, 15 per cent said they had postponed pregnancy due to health concerns, financial problems and a lack of child support.

Daniel Lee, Vice President of 1111 Job Bank, said the average monthly personal income in real terms was 46,422 new Taiwan dollars (NTD) in 2017, lower than it was 16 years ago.

"High economic pressure, more emphasis on life quality, lack of confidence in the future and the rise of women's rights have led to women not wanting to have kids," Lee said.

The survey also showed that of the respondents who wanted children, 31 per cent planned to be full-time mothers, 37 per cent said they would return to work within three years, while 32 per cent said they would go back to work as soon as they could.

--IANS

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