Most working mothers seek freelance jobs, says survey

MOSTLY worried about the cost of living, 77% of working mothers have been seeking freelance work.

This is based on survey findings made exclusively available to Sunday Star from the LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2020.

As challenging as it is to juggle duties at home and the office, 33% of working mothers regularly pursue freelance gigs to make ends meet.

Another 44% occasionally look for such opportunities.

One such lady who adds on freelance jobs to her workload is a mother of two, who wishes to be known only as Liyana, 37.

She works as a social media manager for a company, but also takes up freelance writing jobs to supplement her household income.

“These days, it is impossible to only depend on the husband to work and provide a comfortable life for the family.

“This is especially true for those who live in the city like me, ” she says.

Echoing that major concerns for working mothers are the cost of living and security, she says she also struggles to find work-life balance.

“Such a situation is difficult to achieve as most companies or employers do not offer flexibility in terms of timing and work arrangements, ” she adds.

It is because of this that Liyana started working from home five years ago, but she still has to go to the office about three times a week.

“I took a chance and decided to work from home to better manage my time and to have that balance.

“I don’t think I would be able to do that if I were to work a 9-to-5 job, ” Liyana says.

But while many women have made it to the top of the organisation, she agrees that gender bias at work is not completely gone.

“There are times when women are bypassed for leadership roles.

“Some of the reasons are because they are thought to be more emotional and will be less effective in their duties due to family commitments.

“It doesn’t help that they aren’t allowed flexibility in their work schedules, ” she notes.

Another working mother, who wants to be known only as Melissa, 35, is open to taking on freelance work.

But this is only possible if it can be done at home, says the pharmacist, who has a seven-month-old son.

She also doesn’t mind if such freelance work is unrelated to her field.

“I wish that I could have a flexible job where I could work from home.

“It would be good if the government could offer us some allowance for childcare as the standard of living is so high now, ” she says, adding that babysitter fees take up most of her expenses, followed by formula milk.

She currently pays about RM1,000 a month for her baby to be cared for while she and her husband are at work.

“Some people can’t even afford to buy a house, what more to support a few children, ” Melissa adds.

She also hopes fathers out there will help out more at home to lighten the load of working mothers.

“Having a childcare centre at the workplace would be so much more convenient, as I could go check on my little one at any time.

“But as it is now, there are very few of them, ” she laments.