Hong Kong women hesitate to have children because they have a strong sense of responsibility

I am writing in response to the article “Financial burdens, cramped living quarters and less sex: are these the reasons so many Hong Kong women are undecided about having children?” (December 5). Apart from the various material factors mentioned in the report, I think Hong Kong women are undecided about having children because they have a sense of responsibility.

Nowadays, people have a heavy workload and they work around the clock to make ends meet. If they decide to have children, they seldom have the time to take care of them as they often have to work long hours. This leads to children lacking parental attention, which could negatively impact their development. Parents in Hong Kong are also concerned about whether they can afford the expenses of raising children and providing adequately for their future.

Under these circumstances, Hong Kong women may decide not to have children as they do not have the ability to work and take care of a child at the same time.

Why Hong Kong’s young people don’t want children

Having a child is not a decision to be taken lightly but one that calls for deep reflection. This is because people need to fulfil the obligations of parents after they have children, including giving them the best future possible.

Amelia Sin Lai-nga, Kwai Chung

Government must help low-income families with palliative care

I am writing in response to the article “New Hong Kong foundation hoping to ease burden on families of sick children” (October 14).

It is obvious from the experiences recounted in the report that the government does not provide enough support to families with sick children. The mother of a 13-year-old girl with a rare genetic disorder said she had once not slept for three days in a row when her daughter needed her care.

In many cases, at least one parent has to give up working outside the home in order to tend to the child, which adversely affects the family’s finances. In addition, the medicine for these children can also be expensive and low-income families may struggle to afford them.

1 in 7 Hong Kong pupils from poor families ‘overloaded with stress’

These families do not receive financial or palliative care support from the government. While it is encouraging to hear that an NGO has taken up the cause, the government should also help these families.

Yvonne Lee Hei-yiu, Kwai Chung