Table 1 Demographic information of research participants
Case Number | Education level | Age | Monthly Income from WeChat Business | Number of children | Age of children | City | Family Income | Childcare arrangements (Mother or father refers to the respondent’s parents) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
07260020 | Vocational senior secondary school (zhongzhuan) | 50 | 7500–10,000 | 1 | 16 | Guangzhou | 10,000 | Mother’s help: for a period of time after her son was born, she was not in good health and had to travel frequently for work. During this time, her mother stepped in and took care of the respondent and her child |
07270020 | Master’s degree | 31 | 20,000 | 1 | 3 | Unknown | Under 40,000 | Parents in-laws are responsible for helped to pick up and drop off their children and the respondent takes charge of the education |
07310020 | Primary school | 27 | Under 500 | 3 | 8, 5, 1 | Guangzhou/Wuhan | Unknown | Parents in-laws helped all of the childrearing due to three children within the household |
08010020 | Higher vocational education (zhuanke) | 38 | 5000–8000 | 2 | 15, 4 | Guangzhou | Under16,000 | Parents in-laws helped to pick up and drop off their children |
08040020 | Higher vocational education | Unknown | 2000–4000 | 1 | 4 | Guangzhou | 18,000–20,000 | No external support |
08050020 | Bachelor's degree | 35 | 4000–5000 | 3 | 15, 13, 12 | Shenzhen | Unknown | No external support |
08150020 | Bachelor's degree | 33 | 5000–8000 | 1 | 2 | Shenzhen | Unknown | No external support |
08180020 | Higher vocational education | 32 | 1000–2000 | 1 | 2 | Chongqing | Above 3000 | Parents helped during March 2019 and May 2021 when the respondent was at hometown where she sought assistance in childcare, though she primarily took care of the child with occasional help from parents |
08190020 | Vocational senior secondary school | 32 | Under 500 | 1 | 8 | Guangzhou | 12,000–15,000 | Parents in-laws helped to pick up and drop off their children |
08260020 | Higher vocational education | 33 | Under 500 | 1 | 3 | Zhongshan | Unknown | No external support |
08280020 | Bachelor’s degree | 41 | 4000–5000 | 1 | 10 | Guangzhou | 20,000 | Mother helped to pick up and drop off the children |
08310120 | Bachelor’s degree | 28 | 2000–3000 | 2, under age 1 | 2 | Pingtan | Unknown | Mother helped during the daily childrearing work but the respondent is responsible for intensive motherhood work, such as making specialized baby food and reading books with the children |
08310220 | Bachelor’s degree | 29 | 7500–10,000 | 1 | 2 | Shanghai | Unknown | Domestic helpers with housework |
09010220 | Bachelor’s degree | 32 | 2000–3000 | 1 | 3 | Daqing | Unknown | Parents come to help after the child turns 3 and go to kindergarten |
09010320 | High school | 34 | 2000–3000 | 4 | 14, 6, 4, 1 | Guangzhou | Unknown | Father in-law helped due to the heavy childrearing burden |
09020120 | Junior high school | 33 | 2000–4000 | 3 | 12, 9, 4 | Pingtan | 22,000–24,000 | No external support |
09020220 | Bachelor’s degree | 34 | 10,000–15,000 | 2 | 6, 4 | Shanghai | 40,000–50,000 | The interviewee's mother has always primarily been responsible for picking up and dropping off the child, as well as assisting in childcare. However, the interviewee perceives a discrepancy between her mother’s child-rearing philosophy and her own |
09040120 | Bachelor’s degree | 27 | 5000–10,000 | 1 | 2 | Fuzhou | Unknown | Mother helped to pick up and drop off the children |
09040220 | Unknown | 30 | Unknown | 1 | 9 | Guangzhou | Unknown | Unknown |
09060020 | Higher vocational education | 29 | Under 500 | 1 | 5 | Guangzhou | Unknown | During the period when the child was six to seven months old up to thirteen months, the interviewee noticed personal emotional issues while caring for the child herself. As a result, she sought assistance from a relative who helped with the childcare until the child was seventeen months old. When the relative needed to return to hometown, the interviewee contacted a nursery that agreed to enroll the child. Subsequently, the interviewee has been responsible for childcare until now |
09080020 | Bachelor’s degree | 30 | 10,000–13,000 | 1 | 1 | Lishui | 40,000–50,000 | Mother and the domestic helper |
09090020 | Bachelor’s degree | 32 | 2000–3000 | 1 | 2 | Wuhan | Unknown | No external support |
09130120 | Higher vocational education | 28 | 500–1000 | 1 | 2 | Honghu | 17,000–21,000 | In May 2020, she resided at parents’ house for a period of time, during which parents provided assistance in childcare. Currently, her father in-law helps with grocery shopping and cooking |
09130220 | Higher vocational education | 28 | Unknown | 1 | 2 | Quanzhou | Unknown | Mother in-law |
09140120 | Bachelor’s degree | 31 | 5000 | 1 | 3 | Xuancheng | 10,000–13,000 | Parents |
09140220 | High school | 40 | 3000–8000 | 1 | 6 | Hangzhou | Unknown | No external support |
09220020 | Bachelor’s degree | 37 | 10,000–15000 | 1 | 3 | Chongqing | 30,000–35000 | No external support |
09290020 | Bachelor’s degree | 33 | 2000–3000 | 2 | 2, 1 | Chongqing | Unknown | When the interviewee's first child was about seven to eight months old, her mother came to help take care of him for a period of time. However, her mother suffered from cerebral hemorrhage and hemiplegia, which rendered her unable to care for the child alone. Additionally, the interviewee was pregnant with their second child. She had to take care of her mother and children. As a result, they sent their older brother to a daycare center. Currently, they receive assistance from a nanny for childcare duties |
09300020 | Higher vocational education | 31 | Unknown | 1 | 7 | Chongqing | Unknown | Parent in-laws responsible for housework and the respondent takes the primary responsibility of childrearing |
10020020 | High school | 33 | 5000–7500 | 2 | 6, 3 | Liuzhou | 10,000–15,000 | Parent in-laws |
10070020 | Bachelor’s degree | 33 | 30,000–40,000 | 1 | 3 | Shenzhen | Unknown | No external support |
10140020 | Bachelor’s degree | 30 | 30,000–40,000 | 2 | 5, 3 | Chongqing | Unknown | Mother in-law helped but her daughters mostly relied on her |
10150020 | Vocational senior secondary school | 32 | 2000 | 1 | 6 | Chongqing | Unknown | No external support |
10250020 | Bachelor’s degree | 30 | 3000–4000 | 1 | 4 | Harbin | 13,000–16,000 | Parents in-law helped after the respondent returns to labor market after the maternity leave and she relied on herself during the maternal leave |
10260020 | Bachelor’s degree | 32 | Unknown | 1 | 2 | Wuhan | Unknown | Mother in-law |