On Mother's Day, people rarely forget to say "thank you" to their mothers for all they do. But behind these words of appreciation lies a deeper issue that deserves attention: the struggles of mothers who are being pushed to the brink of burnout.

The Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) surveyed nearly 800 mothers across Taiwan [1] and released its 2026 Survey on Mothers' Parenting Experiences in Taiwan on May 4. The findings show that as women today strive for "perfect parenting," many are becoming trapped by the psychological burden of "intensive parenting" [2].

According to the survey, 92.6% of women agreed that "children should be the center of life." At the same time, 65.7% of mothers said they lacked confidence in fathers' parenting. This "only moms can do it" mindset has contributed to maternal burnout. The survey found that 66.3% of mothers said having children leaves them with almost no time or flexibility for themselves, 55.9% said having children makes it difficult to balance different responsibilities, and 34.0% said they felt overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities.

Most concerningly, only 22.1% of respondents said raising children in Taiwan is easy. Compared with Sweden, France and Germany, Taiwan shows a stark gap, with rates in those countries three to four times higher. Taiwan also trails neighboring Japan by 16 percentage points [3]. These figures not only point to insufficient policy support but also reveal the physical and emotional toll that raising children in Taiwan has taken on women.

When asked about the parenting challenges mothers in Taiwan face, the top concern was "not having enough time to rest." This was followed by "difficulty balancing family with other roles in life" and "concerns about household finances." Stay-at-home mothers reported higher levels of concern or difficulty than working mothers across almost all parenting challenges.

A closer look at the support needed by these two groups found that working mothers were more likely to need child care services that meet their needs, while stay-at-home mothers were more likely to need temporary child care or respite services. Despite the heavy workload and stress, 94.7% of mothers said the fulfillment that comes from caring for their children is irreplaceable.

CWLF calls on the government to expand public child care and parenting support services, employers to implement family-friendly workplace measures, and families to improve the division of parenting responsibilities. After all, no amount of celebration or praise can replace a supportive environment that truly allows mothers to set down their burdens and catch their breath.

[1] This survey was conducted online from March 10 to April 1, 2026, among women in Taiwan with minor children. A total of 783 valid responses were collected. Respondents had an average age of 39.7, and 68.5% were working mothers, including both full-time and part-time workers. The sample profile shows that each mother had an average of 1.5 children, and most respondent households had preschool-aged children (76.9%). This makes the survey particularly relevant to issues related to preschool child care and early childhood education.

[2] Intensive parenting is an idealized parenting model and social phenomenon that has gradually taken shape in modern society. At its core is an intense pursuit of "quality parenting." It assumes that ideal parenting should be child-centered, highly invested, rich in stimulation, and guided by expert advice. It also tends to be tied to gendered expectations that place motherhood at the center of caregiving.

[3] According to a 2021 survey by the Cabinet Office of Japan, 38.2% of respondents in Japan, 82.0% in France, 77.0% in Germany, and 97.1% in Sweden said it was easy to raise children in their own country. The samples in these countries were randomly selected and were not limited to mothers. By contrast, the Taiwan sample was not randomly selected and included only respondents who were mothers.

The essence of "intensive parenting" is treating children as the absolute center of life and investing large amounts of time, money and energy at any cost to ensure that they receive the best possible developmental support. In this social context, the burden of parenting often falls disproportionately on women, giving rise to the phenomenon of "intensive mothering." It is as if only mothers who devote themselves completely, stay constantly on edge and closely follow expert advice can be considered competent.

The survey found that 92.6% of mothers agreed that children should be the center of life, while 87.5% believed they should seek out the best educational opportunities for their children before they reach preschool age. This anxiety over "not letting children fall behind before they even start" begins even before birth, with 73.1% of mothers saying that intellectual stimulation should be provided during pregnancy. These expectations have created extremely high standards for mothers striving for "perfect motherhood."

However, the more mothers invest in their children's upbringing, the heavier the psychological burden becomes. The analysis shows that mothers who more strongly identify with intensive parenting also report higher levels of parenting stress. This suggests that intensive parenting attitudes have become a major source of stress in mothers' daily lives.

When it comes to the division of labor within families, the survey reveals a major gap between equal beliefs and unequal workloads. Although the share of fathers who take primary responsibility for various household tasks has increased slightly compared with 2014 [1], this has not meaningfully reduced mothers' burdens. Mothers remain primarily responsible for preparing meals (47.6%), housework (46.7%) and helping children with schoolwork (52.4%) [2]. More concerningly, mothers now take on a much higher share of schoolwork support and discipline than they did 10 years ago. This shows that society still places many expectations on the role of mothers, leading women to shoulder more responsibilities in the family.

What is more complex is the contradiction many mothers experience. Although 92.1% of mothers agreed that mothers and fathers are equally capable of caring for children, 65.7% still felt that fathers did not perform as well as mothers in parenting. Even though 75.9% of mothers described their spouses as "great teammates," their average real-life satisfaction rating was only 6.3 out of 10. This lack of confidence in fathers' parenting reinforces the mindset that "only moms can do it," which in turn contributes to maternal burnout. The survey also found that the less satisfied mothers were with the division of parenting responsibilities with their spouses, the higher their level of parenting stress.

[1] CWLF’s 2014 Survey Report on Parenting Concerns Among Mothers of Young Children and Supportive Cities for Raising Children. https://reurl.cc/bdmd7r

[2] Disciplining children: 51.7% of respondents said this responsibility was shared by both parents, while 4.6% said fathers were the primary caregivers responsible.
Housework: 37.2% said this responsibility was shared by both parents, while 8.9% said fathers were primarily responsible.
Preparing meals: 25.8% said this responsibility was shared by both parents, while 7.9% said fathers were primarily responsible.
Helping children with schoolwork: 25.3% said this responsibility was shared by both parents, while 5.9% said fathers were primarily responsible.

For working mothers, who made up nearly 70% of respondents, the boundaries between work and family have become increasingly blurred. Overall, a higher share of mothers said work interfered with family life than said family responsibilities interfered with work. The survey found that 44.2% of working mothers felt their jobs took away time they could have spent with their families, while 24.6% said they had difficulty concentrating at work because they were worried about household responsibilities. These findings show how working mothers are caught in the struggle to balance work and family life.

At the other end of the spectrum, stay-at-home mothers face fears of career disruption. As many as 45.7% worried that parenting responsibilities would affect their career development or future job opportunities. In addition, after spending long periods in a caregiving role with limited social interaction, 34.8% of stay-at-home mothers reported feeling lonely and lacking opportunities to connect or socialize with others. This shows that whether mothers work outside the home or stay home to care for their children full time, mothers in Taiwan continue to face the difficult challenge of navigating between family and work roles.

The high demands of parenting work have also pushed many mothers close to their limits. The survey found that 66.3% of mothers felt their lives had almost no time or flexibility for themselves, while 34.0% said they felt overwhelmed by parenting responsibilities. Raising children has also placed pressure on household finances, with 56.6% of mothers clearly stating that childrearing has become a financial burden for their families.

Yet the data also reveal a contradictory "willingness to endure." Despite the stress of raising children, 94.7% of parents agreed that watching their children brings them deep fulfillment, and 83.8% said becoming a parent is the greatest joy in life. It may be this sense of fulfillment that leads mothers to accept the many sacrifices expected of them.

"Lack of time to rest" (62.3%) and "difficulty balancing family with other roles in life" (49.4%) have become shared challenges for mothers in Taiwan. However, mothers in different circumstances often have very different needs. Stay-at-home mothers, who may experience long-term social isolation and physical exhaustion, showed a stronger need for "temporary child care and respite services" (30.4%). They long for even a small mental break from around-the-clock caregiving.

By contrast, working mothers struggle more with shifting between roles. As a result, they rely more heavily on "child care options that meet their needs" (34.7%) to cope with the constant pull between work and family. These differences show that policy should go beyond across-the-board cash subsidies. Instead, targeted support is needed for both "physical and emotional respite" and "work-family transitions" so that mothers facing different challenges can receive the support they truly need.

In response to the shared parenting anxiety faced by mothers in Taiwan, CWLF stresses that only systemic change and a shift in social attitudes can improve an environment that remains insufficiently supportive for raising children.

1. Challenge the myth of "perfect motherhood" and address the unequal division of parenting responsibilities.

The survey shows that intensive parenting is at the core of mothers' stress. As many as 65.7% of mothers said fathers do not perform as well as mothers in parenting, leading caregiving responsibilities to ultimately fall back on women. The survey also found that, across almost all parenting tasks, mothers were the most likely to be the primary person responsible.

CWLF calls on society to break the stereotype that "only moms can do it" and to encourage meaningful involvement by fathers. Parents also need to ease their attachment to the idea of being a "perfect mother," recognize that personal energy is limited, and allow themselves to be "good enough mothers" rather than perfect ones. Society must also move away from mother-centered myths of caregiving so that care responsibilities do not continue to fall disproportionately on women.

2. Employers should provide family-friendly workplace measures that go beyond legal requirements.

For both working mothers and stay-at-home mothers, the top form of parenting support they need is a family-friendly workplace system. Research shows that family-friendly measures can improve organizational performance. Employers should not be satisfied with merely meeting the minimum legal requirements. Instead, they can take more active steps to support employees' caregiving needs, such as providing child care services or additional child care subsidies. They can also offer flexible work arrangements, such as flexible working hours, remote work, and family care leave that goes beyond the legal minimum.

Only when organizations make a genuine cultural commitment to supporting employees who are raising children can women truly be helped to balance career development and family caregiving, without being forced to choose one over the other.

3. Strengthen child care services and parenting resources.

The data show that mothers in Taiwan have low confidence in the country's parenting environment. Taiwan's current child care policy follows a quasi-public model, but there is still room for improvement. CWLF's 2023 study recommended that the government strengthen the inspection and exit mechanisms for child care providers and expand the share of public child care services.

In addition, stay-at-home mothers and working mothers have expressed different needs for parenting support. The government can expand resources for temporary child care and respite services, which stay-at-home mothers urgently need, as well as child care services that meet the needs of families, which working mothers have called for. These measures can help improve the overall quality of child care and parenting support services while better meeting parents' needs.

In fact, mothers are not asking for much. The survey found that 47.1% of mothers wanted to celebrate with their families, 46.5% longed for enough rest, and 43.9% hoped to do something they enjoy.

"You are more than a mother. You can still be yourself."

Beyond Mother's Day celebrations and expressions of gratitude, mothers deserve the gift of regaining flexibility in their lives. Only when systems provide mothers with the time and space they need can this appreciation become more than just a slogan.

Read more:

• CWLF Survey: Concerns About Starting Late? Nearly 80% of Parents in Taiwan Report Parenting Anxiety
• CWLF Survey: A Depressed Father's Day? 43% Fathers Struggle, Most Avoid Seeking Help
• 【Parenting Support Services】Nurturing Care for Parent-Child Interaction at Parenting+ Centers