Mothers in Asian nations accept but are not fully content with the familial roles they have to play, according to the results of a survey released Thursday by an advertising agency.
The survey by Ogilvy & Mather, Asia Pacific was conducted with the aim of understanding how Asian mothers feel about their roles, themselves and the way they are portrayed in advertising. It was conducted from January through March 1998, in 22 cities within 12 countries and regions, including Japan, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. A total of 1,200 mothers with dependent children took part in the survey.
According to the survey, Asian mothers consider themselves to have five-key roles in their households -- mother, maid, manager, mediator and mate. They also think that society expects women to be submissive, and consider that mothers are liable to sacrifice their ambitions for their families, the survey showed.
Despite this, the respondents are not depressed by their situation, as they justify their sacrifices with their irreplaceable roles. At the same time, however, the survey showed that mothers feel repressed because they have to devote themselves to others, expecting more appreciation for the roles they play.