Supporting working mother starts with
the first survey

For many women, from preparing for pregnancy and being pregnant to becoming a mother, they play an irreplaceable role in the family, which forces them to temporarily step away from their careers.

Studies indicate that the most significant gender inequality gap in the workplace often exists between working mothers and other employees. Due to the unique and irreplaceable role that mothers play in their families, they frequently need to step away from their careers temporarily.

Unfortunately, maternity leave is often misunderstood as an “extended vacation.” At certain stages, the effort required for working mothers to balance their professional and personal lives is incomparable to that of others, including women without children.

This disparity results in reduced opportunities for advancement and increased workplace discrimination. More and more organizations are recognizing this phenomenon, known as the ''motherhood penalty", and are urging society to take it seriously in order to achieve genuine gender equity.

To better understand the needs, challenges, and expectations of working mothers, we have designed this questionnaire. We hope that your valuable feedback will help us provide more targeted, practical, and valuable support and resources for working mothers.
 
Thank you for participating in this 10 minutes survey. Your responses will be kept strictly confidential, and the results will only be used for research and analysis. We will share the research report to raise more understanding and support in society.

There is a benefit at the end of this survey！
Ⅰ.Basic Information 
*
1,Your Country/Location:
2,Your city if you are in China:
Beijing
Shanghai
Guangzhou
Shenzhen
Hangzhou
Suzhou
Chengdu
Others
*
3,Age:
20-29 years old
30-39 years old
40-49 years old
50 years old and above
Prefer not to disclose
*
4，How do you identify in terms of race or ethnicity? (Please select all that apply)【多选题】
White or Caucasian
Black or African American
Hispanic, Latino, or Latinx
Asian or Asian American (e.g., Chinese, Indian, Filipino, etc.)
Native American or Indigenous (e.g., First Nations, Aboriginal, etc.)
Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian
Middle Eastern or North African
Multiracial or Mixed Race
Other (please specify): ___________
Prefer not to answer
*
5,Education background:
Associate Degree
Bachelor’s Degree
Master’s Degree
Doctorate or above
Prefer not to disclose
*
6,Company type:
Non-listed company
State-owned enterprise
Foreign enterprise (including JV)
Government or public institution
Non-profit organization (NGO)
*
7,Company Size:
1-50 employees
51-200 employees
201-500 employees
501-2000 employees
Over 2000 employees
*
8,Industry:
IT/Internet
Finance/Banking
Education
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Service Industry
Consulting
Other (please specify)
*
9,Job level:
Individual Contributor
Mid-level Management
Senior Management
Entrepreneur
Temporarily Out of Workforce (Full-time Mom)
Other (please specify)
*
10,Number of Children:
1
2
3 or more
Prefer not to disclose
*
11, Age of Children (check all that apply)【多选题】
0-12 months
1-3 years old
4-6 years old
7 years old and above
Your are at pregnancy
Ⅱ‌. Family Support
*
12,Approximately what percentage of your family income is contributed by your personal earnings?
Less than 25%
25% to 50%
50% to 75%
More than 75%
Prefer not to disclose
*
13,Do you currently have a spouse or partner?
Yes
No
Prefer not to disclose
*
14,Do you have support from other family members in raising your children and managing household affairs?
Frequently receive support
Occasionally receive support
Rarely receive support
Never receive support
*
15,Who provides majority of support for childcare (for child under 3 years old)
Your spouse or partner
Grandparents of child or relatives
Professional helper
Daycare
Ⅲ‌, Personal Well-being
*
16,How would rate your overall well-being?
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Very poor
*
17,How often do you feel stressed or anxious due to balancing work, family responsibilities and personal health&growth?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
18, What are the primary factors contributing to your stress and anxiety? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Obstacles or discrimination in career development
Being required to work during maternity or lactation leave
Overall, the manager is not understanding and supportive enough
Pressure from clients (internal and external) or performance
Periodic lack of confidence and confusion
Family responsibilities and relationships
Personal health and growth
Other (please specify)
*
19,Have you ever actively sought mental and physical health activities or counseling?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
20,Where do you obtain emotional support from? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Family
Partner
Friends
Colleagues
Mom or working mom groups
Professional counseling
A role model
Other (please specify)
‌Ⅳ‌, Career and Growth
*
21,How satisfied are you with your current employer as a working mom?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
*
22,Does your company provide mental and physical health support or counseling services?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
23,Do you believe that fertility and childcare responsibilities have affected your career development?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
24,Have you considered changing careers, altering your job nature, or temporarily leaving the workforce due to childcare responsibilities?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
25,Have you considered changing careers, altering your job nature, or temporarily leaving the workforce due to lack of employer’s support and understanding?
Always
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
*
26,Have you ever postponed or decided not to have children (or 2nd , 3rd child or more) due to career development reasons?
Yes
No
Not applicable
*
27,Does your company provide the following support? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Flexible working hours
Remote work
Extend maternity leave
Lactation room
Childcare services
Benefits/discount for infant products and platforms
Physical and mental well-being for working mothers
Other (please specify)
*
28,If yes, What workplace benefits do you find most valuable as a working mom? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Flexible working hours
Remote work
Extend maternity leave
Lactation room
Childcare services
Benefits/discount for infant products and platforms
Physical and mental well-being for working mothers
Other (please specify)
*
29,What improvements would you like to see your company make in supporting working mothers? (You can select multiple options)【多选题】
Extend maternity leave and parental leave
Increase paternity leave
Guarantee no work is required during maternity leave and breastfeeding breaks
More understanding and supportive leadership
Offer flexible working hours and remote work options
Increase support for physical and mental well-being
Provide equal opportunities for career development
Create support groups and communities for working mothers
Offer benefits tailored to mothers or parents (e.g. childcare, child education, and discounts on maternal and baby products)
Mentorship support
Role models
Other （please specify）
*
30,What are your career development expectations? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Fair promotion and salary increases
Career change
Seek more flexibility
Hope for more understanding, tolerance, and support from boss and colleagues
Join a company that is more inclusive and supportive of working mothers
Take a break for a while, then seek the next opportunity
Other (please specify)___________
*
31,Are you seeking for a new opportunity? 
Yes
No
Not sure
*
32,In your work experience, when you found out you were pregnant or about to have a child, which of the following best describes how you felt?【多选题】
I felt my employer would support me.
I believed I would receive strong support from my manager during my pregnancy and as a working mother.
I was worried that my career growth might be affected due to a lack of support from my manager.
I was concerned that my colleagues would think I wasn't committed enough to my job.
I considered leaving my job after having my child.
Other (please specify)
*
33,In the workplace, your anxiety and stress are mainly due to: (You may select multiple options)【多选题】
I don’t have a supportive manager.
The company culture doesn’t particularly care for or support working mothers.
I don’t get support from my manager when I occasionally have no one to look after my child.
I've received negative comments from colleagues about my ability to complete work because of my childcare responsibilities.
Fewer career development opportunities (e.g., not being offered training, mentorship, or networking events).
My achievements or contributions haven’t been fully recognized or acknowledged, possibly due to being overlooked during maternity leave."
Ⅴ, Work-Life Balance
*
34,How satisfied are you with your current work-life balance?
Very satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
*
35,On average, how many hours per week do you work?
Less than 40 hours
40-50 hours
More than 50 hours
*
36,On average, how many hours per week do you spend on childcare?
Less than 30 hours
30-40 hours
40-50 hours
More than 50 hours
*
37,On average, how many hours per week do you spend for yourself (me time)?
0
Less than 3 hours
4-7 hours
8-14 hours
More than 15 hours
*
38,Do you feel supported by your employer in balancing work and family life?
Yes, very much
Somewhat
Neutral
Not really
No, not at all
*
39,Do you feel that you are able to balance work, family responsibilities, and your own health and personal growth?"
Yes
Often
Sometimes
No
*
40,What is your biggest challenge as a working mom? (select all that apply)【多选题】
Time management
Pressure to excel at work
Financial pressures
Childcare responsibilities
Lack of family support
Lack of employer support
Health issues (physical and mental)
Other (Please specify)
*
41,What workplace benefits do you find most valuable as a working mom? (Select all that apply)【多选题】
Flexible work hours
Remote work options
Extra Paid maternity leave
Career development opportunities
Female leadership development
Online community engagement
Offline sharing events
On-site childcare
Psychological counseling
Metal and physical health activities( e.g. yogo, Pilates,meditation)
Financial advice
Educational advice
Legal advice
Other (Please specify)
Ⅵ‌,Open Feedback
*
4‌2, As a working mother, how would you describe your overall experience? Please use three words.
*
43,What advices or experiences would you like to share with us?
4‌4, If you are interested in our survey report and future activities or benefits related to working mothers, please leave your contact information.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and expectations with us. Your voice will help us create a better future for working mothers.
We will select two lucky participants to receive six months of career coaching and leadership training services.
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