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Demand expected to increase for yuesao
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MATERNITY maids are in big demand in Shanghai and this is expected to continue with the relaxation of the one-child policy.
Many housekeeping agencies are busy training ordinary ayi (domestic helpers) into yuesao (月嫂) to meet this potential demand. Yet, some industry insiders suggest the market may become more rational as more families focus on choosing the right yuesao rather than simply picking based on salary and experience.
Zuoyuezi (坐月子), the centuries-old tradition that emphasizes scrupulous care for the postpartum mother within the first month of giving birth, spurred a new profession in the late 1990s. These yuesao (literally “month sister-in-law”) help mothers recover from child birth and take care of the newborn.
There are now an estimated 29,000 maternity maids in Shanghai. One earns anywhere between 7,000 yuan (US$1,147.54) and 15,000 yuan a month depending on experience. In 2004, a yuesao could only make a monthly wage of up to 2,500 yuan.
Before 2012, a family would spend 60 to 70 percent of its monthly disposable income on a yuesao. Now it increased to 80-90 percent.
Mothers-in-law commonly used to be the major helper, but more families have been inclined to hire a professional yuesao in recent years. Improving financial conditions and strong focus on the family’s only child, partly due to the one-child policy, have spurred this demand.
A baby boom that started in 2002 has spurred growth in the industry. Demand reached a peak in 2012, when 220,000 babies were born in the Year of the Dragon.
Wan Ying, a 41-year-old yuesao with 10 years of experience, says she could only get 8 to 9 months of work a year at 2,000 yuan per month in 2005. Her monthly salary is now 10,000-12,000 yuan and she is booked for the remainder of the year.
Wan, from Sichuan Province, entered the industry by working with a housekeeping agency in 2005. The company closed in 2009. Since then, most of her clients have been referrals from previous families.
“I had worried at first whether I could get enough work without the company’s help,” Wan says. “But I found I was still popular on my own. Of course, the general huge demand is one of the reasons, but my rich experience as a maternity maid and recommendations from previous clients also help.”
With the amended family planning policy allowing families with only one single-child parent to have a second child, demand for yuesao will likely remain strong in the next five years.
An estimated 460,000 families in Shanghai are now eligible to have a second child due to the policy change. The Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission estimates the policy will lead to an additional 20,000 to 30,000 births annually in the next few years.
There are already an increasing number of enquiries from families planning to have a second baby, according to Xia Jun, president of Aijun Housekeeping Company, which has 44 branches around the city.
“It will be a good year for the yuesao market, though I cannot give specific numbers on potential customers yet. Most of the callers are still in the planning stages,” Xia says.
The company is now training its best housekeepers to become yuesao to meet this huge demand. About 100 ayi complete the courses and get related certificates each month.
“We can satisfy the need at present, but we’re not sure whether we can manage in the future,” says Xia.
Sun Li, with Yun Jia Zheng, a database with about 600 housekeeping companies on its platform, says the present number of yuesao is enough. Sun says the 2012 “dragon baby” boom has already led to a rise in maternity maids.
“Suppose each maternity maid serves 8 to 10 families each year,” Sun says. “The 29,000 maternity maids in Shanghai can serve at least 230,000 to 290,000 families each year. Even if all the families with newborns hire a maternity maid, there are enough to meet demand.”
Many housekeeping company owners say parents who are planning on having another child are more practical the second time around.
“Most families are just eager to give the best to their first child regardless of the cost, but many of them are more rational when it comes to their second child,” Xia says.
Families usually have little experience with babies when they have their first child. They simply rank maternity maids based on experience and how much they charge Ñ the higher the better.
However, many parents planning for a second child will ask detailed questions like “how will you bathe my baby” and “how will you comfort my baby when he/she cries.” They will judge whether a maid is qualified based on her answers rather than simple numbers, Xia says.
Jenny Lu, a 32-year-old working in human resources at a state-owned enterprise, plans to have a second child in 2 years. She says she may not even hire a yuesao.
“My mom and I have learned everything from my previous maternity maid,” she says. “We may just hire an ordinary housekeeper to give a hand. “It will be much cheaper.”
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