A massive of 82 per cent of mothers polled in a survey said that they were happy being mothers.  A further 76 per cent claimed that they had done a decent job in being mothers.   Sixty-four per cent, however, found motherhood duties difficult, with 20 per cent of the total respondents giving a maximum score of 10 points out of ten to indicate the difficulty.

The survey listed 10 factors and invited respondents to rate each of them on a scale of 0 to 10 in accordance with their importance in being a modern qualified mother, with 5 meaning a pass.   The survey demonstrated that respondents gave an average of 6.2 or more to all the 10 factors, suggesting that respondents had a high expectation of being a modern qualified mother.  Among the 10 factors, the requirements to communicate effectively with the children, or to maintain a harmonious marriage came first, with each earning an average score of 9.1.   Being a good model for the offspring, and having sufficient time to spend with them had been ranked immediately following.  Being a stay-at-home mom was on the fifth place.   All this shows that in respondents' eyes, a modern qualified mom is expected not only to fulfill such traditional duties as preparing meals for or taking care of the children, but also to 'go beyond the kitchen' and effectively communicate with them.

 The survey noted that an overwhelming majority of respondents (96 per cent) thought that they had a very good or good relationship with their children, with another 30 per cent giving a maximum score of 10 points out of ten to indicate their happiness being mothers.

 A majority of respondents, however, admitted that a lack of time was the most difficult part in relation to raising their children.  This was also the most commonly cited problem when asked to state the main difficult that mothers were facing.  This was particularly the case for respondents who were employed.  

 Some 45 per cent of the total respondents had employment, with most attributing the reason for not being a stay-at-home mom to the fact that they needed to earn money to support the family.   Although a considerable portion of respondents (84 per cent) were of the view that being a 'stay-at-home mom' was an important requirement for a modern qualified mother, respondents' occupational background showed no statistically significant difference when they came to evaluate their own relationship with their children.  In fact, educational attainment made a difference, respondents with a higher level of educational attainment were more inclined to say that they had a very good or good relationship with their kids. 

 The survey showed that 70 per cent of respondents converse with their kids just for 60 minutes or less than 60 minutes a day.  The largest number of respondents said that they assumed the responsibility for taking care of the children (68 per cent), followed by a smaller pre cent of mothers who hired maids for this purpose (12.8 per cent).  Only a very few number said that their spouses had played a role in this regard (1.2 per cent).   When asked what they wanted their kids to present for the Mother's Day, a majority of respondents (62 per cent) said that it did not matter. 

 More than 60 per cent of respondents admitted that they were most concerned with the academic performance of their kids.   The percentage stood well above other concerns, such as 'physical health' or 'moral performance', with only 44.5 per cent and 38.4 per cent of respondents considering them as being the appropriate answers.        

 This telephone survey was conducted from 3 to 10 May 2001.  A total of 539 mothers under 39 were successfully interviewed.   The survey noted that 83 per cent of the respondents had one or two kids only. 

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