Life not so friendly for working mothers in Jakarta<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Back in 1994, Elsa Pika Mariaty was having the time of her life,
\nworking in what she considered a perfect job -- as an executive
\nsecretary in a U.S.-based manufacturing firm here.<\/p>\n
\"Giving up my job was the last thing I ever wanted. It was not
\neven an option,\" the plump, round-faced woman told The Jakarta
\nPost.<\/p>\n
\"Friends told me I was gifted in my job. Everything was so
\neasy for me,\" said Elsa, who started working at the age of 25.<\/p>\n
Ten years later, the 36-year-old mother of two is now living a
\nlife she would have despised in her 20s. When the Post met her
\nshe was apron-clad baking cookies for her sons. Day in day out
\nshe cooks, cleans, launders and otherwise orders the lives of
\nDaniel, four, Steven, one.<\/p>\n
\"It was back in 2001. Daniel's babysitter went home during the
\nIdul Fitri festivities to visit her family members. My baby, who
\nwas then one year old, had his worst time during that period,\"
\nElsa recalled.<\/p>\n
Daniel kept crying most of the day and she and husband Ilyas
\ncould not calm him down easily. \"Sometimes he fell asleep after
\ngetting so tired from crying,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Daniel threw away his food and did not want to touch his
\nformula bottle. \"We had to entice him with toys and movies to
\nopen his mouth (to eat),\" said Elsa, taking a deep breath.<\/p>\n
\"I never really paid attention to Daniel, it was my fault. I
\nused to let the nanny do everything. Daniel was like a stranger
\nto me.\"<\/p>\n
Middle class working parents usually hire maids and nannies to
\ndo the household chores and take care of their children.<\/p>\n
However, during the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivities, most
\nmaids and nannies go home to family, leaving parents to deal with
\na messy house, dirty clothes and empty dining tables.<\/p>\n
Often the absence of maids and nannies forces working mothers
\nto take longer holidays and for some like Elsa it makes them
\ndecide to quit their jobs altogether.<\/p>\n
Elsa said she used to enjoy her work a lot and had a good
\nsocial life as well, often eating at fancy restaurants. \"You name
\nit,\" she said, laughing, picking up a Matchbox car from the
\nfloor, adding: \"Ten years ago, I just kicked it instead of
\npicking it up.\"<\/p>\n
During the 2001 Idul Fitri holidays, Elsa and Ilyas made a
\nserious decision. Elsa would quit her job to take care of little
\nDaniel at home.<\/p>\n
\"We do not want to be total strangers to our own son. And we
\ndo not want Daniel to have psychological problems later on
\nbecause he misses his babysitter. We realized that we were
\nwrong,\" said Elsa, who says she now enjoys baking cookies.<\/p>\n
It was not an easy moment for Elsa and her family. With her
\nsalary of more than Rp 5 million (US$552), Elsa and Ilyas were
\nfinancially secure.<\/p>\n
\"My husband earned about the same amount. We had more than
\nenough at that time. However, it was a different story after I
\nquit (my job),\" Elsa said.<\/p>\n
Elsa and Ilyas started cutting their budget for going to fancy
\nrestaurants, happening cafes, buying new clothes, traveling and
\nother luxuries they were used to.<\/p>\n
\"If a day-care center was available at that time, I might not
\nhave to quit my job. In such a center, Daniel would not rely only
\non one person, he would learn to make friends and meet a lot of
\npeople,\" Elsa said.<\/p>\n
\"A day-care center would have had professionals looking after
\nthe children. I would have felt more secure about leaving Daniel
\nthere. And I would have not missed Dan's development as they
\nwould give me day-to-day reports,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"However, there were no convenient centers nearby at that
\ntime. Not even at my company although it was a U.S.-based firm,
\nwhich usually is more concerned about this kind of issue,\" Elsa
\nsaid a touch bitterly.<\/p>\n
According to a Jakarta city bylaw No. 6\/2004 all companies are
\nrequired to provide day-care centers for their employees --
\nhowever, like many local regulations, the details are vague and
\nseldom enforced.<\/p>\n
According to State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia
\nSwasono existing day-care centers in the country are able to take
\ncare of only 0.1 percent of 26.2 million children up to age six.<\/p>\n
\"We are trying to encourage companies with a lot of working-
\nparent employees to establish day-care centers in their
\nneighborhoods. Children are the future of the country. They need
\nto be loved, not ignored because parents are working,\" Meutia
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Elsa says, however, that she has never regretted her decision
\nto be an at-home mother. \"Now I have Steven too. I love being
\nwith Daniel and Steven. I play with them, read to them, teach
\nthem how to do things and generally make sure they get everything
\nthey can out of their childhood.\"<\/p>\n
\"I see a lot of working moms who seem more like observers of
\ntheir children than active participants in their lives. I'm
\ngrateful that's not the case with me,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Daniel runs towards his mother and asks her to give him a
\nkiss. \"I love you, Dan,\" said Elsa. \"I love mommy too,\" said
\nDaniel, hugging his mother tight before running away and bringing
\nover his Buzz Lightyear toy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/life-not-so-friendly-for-working-mothers-in-jakarta-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}