Fewer than four in 10 children between the ages of two and five are looked after by their parents during the day, a survey has found.
While at work, 17 per cent of parents left their children in the care of domestic helpers, 18.2 per cent left them with grandparents and 20 per cent with other people. Only about 39 per cent looked after the youngsters themselves.
The study, conducted by the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, examined the pressures on parents with young children. Questionnaires were sent to nurseries and kindergartens between September and October last year.
Of the 1,059 parents interviewed, 78 per cent said they had less than three hours of spare time a day. A fifth had less than an hour. More than half said they faced great pressure bringing up their children.
Yeung Sau-ying, the association's family life education officer, said that while parents attached primary importance to the health of their children, 'about half of respondents felt a great deal of pressure from expectations over the academic performance of their children and choice of schools'.
More than 52 per cent said they suffered from at least three stress-related symptoms, including migraine, mood swings and insomnia.