Taiwan white-collar women choose work over motherhood

TAIPEI - More than one-fifth of female Taiwanese office workers have no desire to have children, with the financial burden of having a child named as their biggest concern, a survey released Monday ahead of Mother's Day by Taiwan's 1111 Job Bank indicated.

The survey polled 874 female office workers, of whom 22 percent said they had no desire to have children. The respondents named economic pressure, life quality and unclear policy support as their top three concerns.

Among those who wanted to have children, 61 percent said they wanted to have two, 29 percent preferred just one. Moreover, 15 percent 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 in Taiwan 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 percent planned to be full-time mothers, 37 percent said they would return to work within three years, while 32 percent said they would go back to work as soon as they could.