What's keeping most HK moms from having second child

Stacy Shi

Heavy financial burden, parenting responsibilities and crowded living environments are the main reasons deterring nearly 70 percent of mothers from bearing another child, a local survey found.

The findings prompted the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children to call for increased government funding of day child care services and subsidized nursery programs.

The group conducted the online survey between May 14 and June 7 of 1,264 mothers aged 18 to 45 who have given birth to one child. Nearly seven out of 10 say they are not considering or remain uncertain as to whether to have a second child.

The survey showed a lack of awareness of government support measures among parents.

Only 5 percent of respondents were aware of after-school care programs for preschool or primary school children.

On measures that can help persuade them to have additional children, 10.6 percent demanded parental and family leave, while 10.4 percent hoped to receive extended full-paid maternity and paternity leaves.

Some mothers also highlighted the challenges in balancing work and childcare, with 18 considering flexible working hours and 16.2 percent considering remote work arrangements to help employees with parenting responsibilities.

Winnie, a mother from a dual-income family who has been sending her child to the society's daycare center for two years, praised the service for keeping her informed about her child on a daily basis and easing the burden of balancing work and childcare.

On the government's one-off allowance of HK$20,000 for newborn babies, she said the amount was insufficient considering that the cost of a month of postnatal care already exceeded HK$28,000.

She also hoped the government could introduce children's health care vouchers to alleviate the financial burden.

And despite the government making 900 additional places in child daycare services this year, society director Subrina Chow Shun-yee said the number is still inadequate.

Chow said the current ratio of applicants to available places in nursery schools for children under the age of two is 40:1. She proposed that the government should increase the number of places to help more women or adults to be able to join the workforce and help increase birth rates.

"This would bring economic benefits to the family and the community far greater than HK$20,000."

Chow observed that the childcare sector is relatively lacking in individuals with expertise in the care of very young children.

"The current programs provided by our universities and training institutions are all focused on the three-to-six age range, so we do need a lot more program content to be devoted to the younger children," she said.

The society also called on the government to include whole and long-day nursery schools in the 15-year free education, giving priority to single-parent and dual-income families in the allocation of school places. It cited the example of neighboring regions such as Taiwan and Singapore that provide parental childcare and family leaves.