A survey by online job bank yes123 showed that 92.6 percent of working mothers experience “significant” levels of stress, mainly due to the pressure of coping with work and family demands.
According to the poll, among working mothers who reported experiencing significant stress, 18.2 percent said the pressure is “immense and intolerable,” and 74.4 percent said it is “significant, but tolerable.”
In addition, 82.6 percent said they find it “impossible” to be a good employee at work and a good mother at home.
The greatest source of stress for working mothers is not having enough time to meet competing demands from work and home, the poll showed.
Asked to list the things that cause them stress, 72.7 percent of respondents said “doing house chores after work,” 62.8 percent “not having time for my children,” 61.2 percent said “not having time alone,” 59.5 percent said “raising and educating my children,” and 19.8 percent said “not having time to spend with my partner.”
Additionally, 57.9 percent of respondents said they do not have days off throughout the year; among those who do, the average is three days in a year.
The survey also showed that 87.6 percent of working mothers had thought of leaving their family behind to “catch their breath.”
A majority, or 58 percent, of respondents believe that workplace and familial obligations are equal contributors to their stress, while 23.2 percent pointed to their families as the source and 18.8 percent to their career.
The working moms gave their performance at work an average of 71.3 points out of 100, but only 58 points for their performance as mothers, the poll showed.
A vast majority of respondents said they found it “impossible” to strike a balance between career and home life, and 44.6 percent said that Taiwan’s workplace culture is “not friendly” to working mothers.
Among mothers who have requested days off to care for their children, 58.7 percent said they experienced opposition at work.
The working moms were also asked what gifts they most or least look forward to on Mother’s Day, which falls on Sunday.
According to the poll, 50.4 percent of respondents opted for cash, 47.9 percent favored a trip abroad, 23.1 percent liked domestic travel, 22.3 percent favored a spa session and 19 percent chose a family photograph.
The least popular gifts are a bouquet of flowers, with a disapproval rating of 43.8 percent, followed by micro-cosmetic surgery with 31.4 percent, kitchenware with 25.6 percent, jewelry 23.1 percent and designer handbags 21.5 percent.
The online survey was conducted from April 12 to 22, with 1,089 valid responses collected.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it