Discover how working mothers across Southeast Asia are navigating the complex balance between professional life and family responsibilities, amidst the pressures of self-care and societal expectations.
The challenge of work and family
FAMILY Day is a celebration that emphasises the importance of spending quality time with family members.
Family bonding can be enhanced by a variety of activities, including picnics, camping, game nights, outdoor adventures, cooking together, visiting nearby attractions, and many more.
When we spend more time with our family, we can strengthen connections, enhance communication, and provide more emotional support.
However, not all families — especially those with full-time working mothers — can afford to do this.
Working mothers in Southeast Asia are increasingly learning time management techniques to balance professional and personal demands.
Milieu Insight, a leading survey software company, revealed in its latest study on Southeast Asian mothers at work that six in 10 working mothers in the region struggle to find time for both work and family commitments.
According to a McKinsey & Company report, women contribute about 36 per cent of Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP), which is in line with the global average. However, there are still opportunities for women to increase their economic contribution in the region.
The quantitative study conducted by Milieu Insight’s proprietary survey community polled 3,000 working mothers across Southeast Asia, covering Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.
“While women have contributed to Southeast Asia’s growth, their share of managerial positions remains below parity.
“Our study highlights the pressing challenges faced by working Southeast Asian women today, including the delicate balance between work and family commitments, self-care amidst hectic schedules, and the burden of guilt when prioritising professional responsibilities.
“However, amidst these obstacles, it’s heartening to know that working mothers in Asia employ various strategies to navigate the complexities of their personal and professional lives,” said Juda Kanaprach, co-founder of Milieu Insight.
A tough juggling act: work vs home
Working mothers in Southeast Asia are finding it tough to balance it all, despite the changing world of work.
Six in ten women in Southeast Asia struggle to find adequate time to manage both work and family commitments.
Similarly, compared to other countries, data shows that American mothers combine work and family in different ways.
However, when it comes to employment, motherhood becomes a disruption, taking over a decade for mothers’ full-time employment rate to return to 50 per cent.
Self-care struggles
Along with these challenges comes the overwhelming burden of self-care due to the relentless demands of work and home life.
Forty-two per cent of Singaporean and Vietnamese women report finding it increasingly difficult to prioritise their own wellbeing while juggling the competing demands of work and home, exceeding the regional average of 31 per cent.
The study also showed that 44 per cent of those surveyed wished more people understood the difficulties they face as working mothers.
The lack of employee wellbeing policies and practices in Southeast Asia to support a healthy work-life balance is a much-needed area of improvement.
Fifty-three per cent of working mothers surveyed feel neutral or dissatisfied with their country’s maternity leave policy.
By providing adequate resources for self-care and promoting a culture of wellness, we can help alleviate the strain on working mothers and contribute to their overall job satisfaction and productivity.
Career impact
One in five working mothers across Southeast Asia feels that being a mother has had an adverse impact on their career, with the highest percentage being in Singapore at 40 per cent.
This trend may correlate with the fact that 66 per cent of working mothers in the region shoulder significant household responsibilities, including childcare, cleaning, and cooking.
Although Singapore boasts a relatively lower percentage of women solely responsible for household maintenance at 19 per cent, the stark contrast is evident in Indonesia, where 43 per cent of women shoulder this responsibility alone.
Flexible work
Fifty-five per cent of working mothers in Southeast Asia currently adopt innovative time management techniques to navigate the intricacies of work-life integration.
With Singapore implementing new flexi-work arrangement guidelines, including a four-day work week option starting on December 1, 2024, this approach offers progressive flexibility at work, empowering mothers to take more control over their schedules.
Meanwhile, 68 per cent of working mothers in Southeast Asia believe that remote work and flexible arrangements would enhance their work-life balance and career growth, with the majority in Singapore (75 per cent) and the Philippines (77 per cent) sharing this sentiment.
Need for extended leave without stigma
About one in two working mothers in Southeast Asia has had to extend maternity leave or take unpaid leave to care for their children, with Vietnam having the highest percentage at 59 per cent.
Fifty-four per cent of working mothers in Singapore wish for extended leave policies to better support working mothers, despite the fact that paid maternity leave is capped at 16 weeks in Singapore.
However, there is significant stigma around mothers who take time away from work, with some companies penalising parents who take maternity leave.
Research by Milieu Insight suggests that with inclusivity, flexibility, and support, workplaces can create a nurturing environment where women can excel in their professional roles while fulfilling their duties as mothers.
In the meantime, let’s take a moment today to honour mothers and the sacrifices they make for our families in celebration of Family Day.
As part of the family, we can help ease their burden by assisting with household chores.
I believe that all mothers, whether stay-at-home or working, desire a break — even if it’s just for an instant — as it’s enough to help them unwind.
Let’s strengthen the bonds between family members by spending quality time with our loved ones on this meaningful day.
