SINGAPORE — With Mother’s Day approaching, 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.
