Before Mother's Day, Milieu Insight released the results of its ‘Opinions of Motherhood’ study, which explores what women across 4 Southeast Asian countries think about the possibility of motherhood, and some of the considerations they have before deciding to enter a new phase of life. The study was conducted in April 2022 with N=500 women without children each in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Indonesian Women Are Most Receptive Towards Motherhood
- 73% of Indonesian women foresee themselves to have at least 1 child in the future, likewise for 50% of Filipino
- Meanwhile, much fewer women from Singapore and Thailand are certain about having kids, with only 34% and 29% respectively foreseeing themselves to become parents in the future
- More are uncertain about it, indicating ‘Maybe’ (39% and 43% respectively in Singapore and Thailand)
26-30 Years Old Ideal Age to Become Mothers, 2 Is the Ideal Number of Children
- At least 5 in 10 women (excluding those who don’t intend to become mothers) want to become mothers between the ages of 26 to 30; slightly more in Indonesia (23% compared to 11% regional average) want to become mothers between 21-25 years old
- Nearly 6 in 10 want up to 2 children; skew towards Indonesian and Filipino women who want 3 or more children
Top reasons for wanting children:
- It is meaningful to raise a child (69%)
- To experience motherhood (67%)
- I think that a family is only complete with kids (57%)
- I find children cute or fun to be with (56%)
- To have someone to accompany/ take care of me when I’m old (56%)
Furthering Support for Women to Understand Motherhood
- Entering motherhood requires one to be prepared - and to prepare - for many factors; as “natural” as childbirth is, in reality, parents have to be well-informed about parenthood to ensure that children can grow up in the right environment
Key considerations for motherhood:
- Childcare expenses (64%)
- My health or my partner’s health (63%)
- My job security (or my partner’s) (62%)
- Mental health care before and after childbirth emerged as top area that women want to learn about (66%) (eg. postnatal depression, which has been talked about more commonly recently), followed by ‘infant/childhood development’ (65%) and ‘finance management’ (65%)
Methodology
Based on a Milieu Insight survey with N=500 women without children each in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, conducted in April 2022.
About Milieu Insight
Milieu Insight is a consumer data and analytics company that connects businesses directly with their target audience. Milieu’s platform offers businesses a wide range of tools for accessing, analyzing, and visualizing high-value and timely consumer opinion data to help power better decision-making and strategy. For more information about Milieu Insight visit: www.mili.eu
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