The Type of Childcare for Working Mothers in Indonesia

: One of the problems faced by working mothers is caring for children, especially children who are still at an early age. This is because their workplace does not allow them to bring small children or does not provide daycare. This study aims to find out the types of childcares that working mothers in Indonesia choose and their considerations in choosing that type. This research method uses a mixed-method design by combining two types of quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection was carried out through surveys with questionnaire instruments and interviews with working mothers. The number of respondents surveyed was 500 working mothers and 100 of them were interviewed. Interviews were conducted in person or via telephone and video calls using the Zoom meeting and WhatsApp applications. The study was conducted in 2020 and 2021. The results of the study found that five types of childcares were selected with the main considerations being the child's development, the competence and personality of the caregivers, the conditions of the living area, and considerations of cost.

seems to have no end in taking care of and raising children. Working mothers are often confused with the problem of taking care of the children they leave at home (Widyastuti et al., 2011). In Indonesia, every mother has her way of dealing with the care of their toddlers. Usually, these efforts are based on cultural influences, family, and childhood experiences of the mothers. Mothers have the belief that parenting influences the subsequent development of children (Alsheikh et al., 2010;Hidayah et al., 2019).
This article is the first part of research entitled the development of an Effective Parenting Model for Early Childhood, which is in stage one, namely identifying the type of childcare that has been applied by working mothers. The research question for this article is what kind of parenting has been happening for working mothers in Indonesia. Therefore, this article only presents one of the research objectives, which is to identify the types of care for working mothers in Indonesia.

THEORETICAL STUDY
Working mothers have the understanding of women who carry out routine activities outside the home for various reasons, including as a way of self-actualization, earning income, and channeling their abilities and skills (Montgomery, 2002a). Working mothers have various conflicts within themselves related to other duties as wives, daughters-inlaw, housewives, and themselves (De Almeida, 2012;Dhingra & Keswani, 2019). One of the conflicts that most often grabs the attention of working mothers is their role as a mother who has to take care of their children, especially when their children are still at an early age (born -8 years) (Dhingra & Keswani, 2019).
Parenting is a process of total interaction between parents and children (Alsheikh et al., 2010;Merlina, 2010), and is a major component in stimulating children's growth and development as well as a means of strengthening relationships and interactions between parents and children (Amalia et al., 2022;Retnaningsih & Setiyawati, 2019;Ye et al., 2022). In parenting, there are various activities such as maintenance, feeding, cleaning, protecting, and the process of socializing children with the surrounding environment (Dey et al., 2021;Zimmermann et al., 2022). In some countries, child care is not only the business or the responsibility of the family who has the child but is also the business and interest of the extended family, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, and other family members (Hidayah et al., 2019;Merlina, 2010).

METHOD
This research design uses a mixed method to better understand the research problem by collecting, analyzing, and mixing quantitative and qualitative methodologies in one study or a series of studies (Creswell & Clark, 2011) (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). The underlying premise is that combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies leads to a better knowledge of the study problem and related questions than either method used separately. The technique used to collect data in this section is a questionnaire with open questions distributed using the G-Form instrument for working mothers in various parts of Indonesia. Returned questionnaires are limited to 500 complete copies and are eligible for further analysis. Furthermore, from the 500 respondents, the answers were grouped based on the type of care chosen. For each type of care, 20 respondents were randomly selected to be interviewed. The total number of respondents interviewed was 100 people. This number was obtained from the five types of care selected by the informants. The interview process is carried out in person (meeting face to face) or using media such as telephone or video calls (via Zoom Meetings and WhatsApp). The results of the interviews were described again in the form of transcripts and then obtained by descriptive narrative. Data was collected using a questionnaire for 8 months, from March -October 2020. Data collection by interview was carried out for 4 months, namely February -May 2021. The data that was entered and met the requirements were then processed and analyzed descriptively.

Quantitative Result
The data collected from the questionnaires are presented based on two categories, namely the identity of the respondent and the type of care. The two categories are presented in table 1 and table 2 Based on the data in table 1, it appears that the age of the majority of respondents is in the range of 21-40 years, which is 85%, this data is by the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics which states that they are included in 68, 52% of productive women (Hakiki & Idha, 2021). One thing that is interesting from the data is that 11% of respondents are over the age of 40 years and 7% of respondents are in the age range above 50 years. This shows that at the age of over 40 years, there are still mothers who have early childhood, which means their reproductive organs are still productive and can conceive and give birth to babies. The data in table 1 also illustrates that the types of work for women are very diverse. The data also shows that women's work in Indonesia is no different from men's work. The BPS data shows that female workers in the sales sector are 27.55% (Hakiki & Idha, 2021) in line with the data in this study of 31% (factory sector employees and private employees). Regarding the region, the data shows that most of the respondents are in Java, namely in Greater Jakarta (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi) and 60% of Central Java. Jabodetabek is a buffer zone for the capital city of Indonesia. This is very reasonable because, in Indonesia, trade centers and business centers are in big cities, such as provincial capitals and state capitals.
The data in table 2 describes the type of care chosen by the respondents. This data was collected through a questionnaire with open-ended questions. Respondents were asked to write down the type of care they chose and their reasons for choosing that type of care. The collected data are then grouped based on their similarities, to obtain six types of care. The data are presented in the order of the most selected. The data in table 2 show that there are six types of care carried out by working mothers in Indonesia. The six types of care chosen are the decisions of mothers working with their partners. The six choices have their reasons, which are based on their individual needs and experiences (Rimba Eka Handini et al., 2017). As stated by (Arabi et al., 2018;Meier & Mead, 1978;Salum et al., 2020) which states that parenting is the right and decision of every couple who has children to choose the type of parenting for their children. The considerations made include growth (nutrition, food, clothing) (Arabi et al., 2018), health (cleanliness, safety, comfort, lifestyle) behavior and character (socialization, emotions, manners, manners) (Alsheikh et al., 2010;Sim et al., 2022) and intellectual (achievement, ability, and development of children, intellectual and academic intelligence) (Alsheikh et al., 2010;Hidayah et al., 2019;Saraswati & Febriani, 2018;Sim et al., 2022). Although sometimes decisions about this type of care are chosen suddenly without consideration from the outset but based on the conditions they face when they are urgent (Alsheikh et al., 2010;Dhingra & Keswani, 2019;Hidayah et al., 2019;Saraswati & Febriani, 2018;Sim et al., 2022). Table 2 also shows that the most choices made by working mothers are entrusting their child's parenting pattern to the family, such as entrusting it to parents, brothers/sisters, or uncles/aunts. This type is done by allowing the child to live with the family in the place of residence of the grandparents. The main reason given is that there is a strong belief and belief in the success of the parenting that is applied. This is based on the respondent's experience regarding parental care for herself and her success has been proven. Although this method makes them must take and pick up their children from home to their grandparents every day.

Qualitative Results
This finding was obtained through interviews conducted with 100 respondents. Respondents who were interviewed were randomly selected for each type of care they chose. For each type of care, 20 people were selected to be interviewed. The interview process is carried out in various ways, namely meeting face-to-face, through video calls in the WhatsApp and Google Meet applications, and voice calls by telephone or WhatsApp. The questions asked include five components, namely: 1) Considerations in choosing the type of care, 2) Advantages of the type of care chosen, 3) Constraints and difficulties faced with the type of care chosen, 4) The ideal type of care that is expected since planning to have children, and 5) The impact of the type of care chosen for the growth and development of their child. The results of the interview were then written down in the form of a detailed transcript. Then this transcript was processed by juxtaposing the similarity of answers to each informant to then draw conclusions

Considerations in choosing the type of care
Every parent has their way reasons for determining the type of care for their children. This is also done by mothers working in Indonesia. The results of the interviews carried out obtained several considerations for working mothers in choosing the type of care for their children while they were left to work. These considerations are summarized as follows.
4.2.1.1 The similarity of parenting patterns that he had as a child.
Most of the working mothers interviewed in this study were mothers with their first child, so they felt they had no experience in raising and educating children. Therefore, the first consideration in choosing the type of care is the similarity of the parenting style she has ever received. These opinions include the following:

Adjustment by group agreement
Another consideration in choosing the type of childcare is adjusted to group agreement, in this case, including ideas/suggestions/guidance from extended family, the immediate environment, or the habits of the surrounding community. This consideration is also based on the opinion of the public that something that is widely chosen or followed is a good thing. These considerations are reflected in the respondents' answers: "I followed my mother's advice", "Most of the mothers in my housing complex leave their children there", "My friends in my office leave their children at the playgroup or ECE", "My parents begged to be able to take care of their grandchildren because some of their classmates are also busy taking care of their grandchildren", "All of my sisters use domestic helpers to help take care of their children".

Socio-economic capabilities
The factor of economic and social ability is one of the considerations of working mothers in choosing the type of care for their children. They must think about the costs incurred for the upbringing of their children and other equally important household needs. They must share the income earned to meet all household needs on average, their main needs are to pay for their house, and vehicle (car/motorcycle) installments as well as their transportation and accommodation to work. So, for the cost of care, they only set aside a small part of their income. Therefore, they choose the type of care that does not require large costs, such as being entrusted to their family, neighbors, self-care, or using household assistants (not special caregivers for children or babysitters). This consideration is reflected in their answers, namely:

"Our income (husband and wife) is not big enough to pay for a babysitter".
"We still have to pay the house and car installments, so there are no special costs for children".
"Food costs and transportation to the office are quite big, so we don't have enough money to pay for a babysitter". "Our household is still new, so our parents are still helping us with our living expenses".
In addition to economic considerations, social considerations are also a determining factor in choosing the type of childcare. They think about their opinion of the environment around where they live, the habits of the people around them, the desire to be completely independent, and the desire not to bother those closest to them. These considerations are reflected in their answers, namely: "There is no environment around me that puts their children into ECE", "My family scolds me if the child is taken care of by a housemaid", "If I use a special caregiver, I am worried about the opinion of the surrounding environment regarding my household", "If I use an outsider to take care of my child, I feel uncomfortable and worry about unwanted things, such as infidelity, child abuse, and others"

Caregiver knowledge and skills
Caregivers' knowledge about the growth and development of early childhood as well as the skills of caregivers in caring for early childhood is one of the considerations for working mothers in determining the type of care they will choose. One way to find out the caregiver's knowledge is to look at academic qualifications, for example: a high school graduate or diploma can read and write fluently. While skills are usually seen from their patience, having had early childhood, perseverance, or previous parenting experience. To obtain data on the knowledge and skills of these caregivers, these considerations were reflected in their answers, namely: "I will choose an educated person. At least high school graduates or equivalent, because they have basic academic knowledge ", "I will choose people who are patient, can take care of children well", "I entrust it to my neighbors because I know they have studied even though they didn't finish", "I choose a housemaid at least a high school graduate and can take care of young children well and is patient and doesn't talk much", "I prefer a nanny who has had children, meaning she must already know how to take care of young children", "I prefer a nanny who has had children, meaning she must already know how to take care of young children", "I prefer people who are skilled in caring for young children, have a clean appearance, and like children".

Gender, age, and temperament of the child
Another consideration conveyed by the respondents was the gender of the child. They are a bit afraid of things that are not desirable, such as sexual harassment and or violence against children. Therefore, they prefer "women" as caregivers for their children. The reason is that they think that women are more patient, mothers, and diligent in taking care of the needs of small children. This consideration is reflected in the answers.
"My child is a boy, but I will choose a girl as a nanny because she is more patient and thorough. I am not afraid that my child will be abused".
"Nanny is better for women because they must have a motherly soul.
"I tend to choose women to look after and raise my children. My daughter is a girl, so I am afraid of sexual harassment or violence against my child. In my opinion, men are more impatient and easily ignited, also stronger in terms of energy".
In addition to the gender of the caregiver, temperament is also a consideration in determining the type of parenting. This consideration is mainly carried out by mothers who choose to take care of household assistants and entrust them to their neighbors near where they live. This consideration is reflected in the following answers.
"I always interview my prospective nanny to find out her character and temperament". "I have known the neighbor for a long time. They are good people, friendly and diligent, so I feel safe leaving their children with them".

Advantages and disadvantages
When choosing the type of childcare, they have thought about the advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes both are only felt when this type of care has been carried out. Findings of the advantages and disadvantages are presented in table 3. -Housemaids change frequently -Children love housemaids more than their parents -Housemaids are sometimes difficult to manage and are often rude to children when left to work -Children are not taken care of, because housemaids are busy watching television or playing cellphones -The fear that something bad will happen to the child often appears in the mother's mind because of the distrust of the maid 3. Children are raised alternately between father and mother -They don't have to spend extra money -Parenting process according to your wishes -Their child's relationship with parents is closer -Difficult to divide shifts when both parents must work at the same time -The burden of parenting has been more often on the mother's side -Both parents become unable to focus and concentrate on work 4. Children Entrusted to neighbors near the house -Mothers can focus on work without thinking about their children -Families do not need to spend a special budget for babysitters. They only pay for the children's routine needs, especially milk and food -The address of the neighbors must be close to where they live -There is a feeling of discomfort due to entrusting the child to someone who is not related to the family. -If there is a slight error, it can cause conflict with neighbors -Parenting cannot be controlled because neighbors must have their own family rules -Neighbors are usually not professional and competent in childcare No Type of care Advantages Disadvantages 5. Enrolling children in ECE such as: daycare, playgroup -The mother feels comfortable working -Children in professional and competent hands -Adequate facilities and infrastructure -Children can socialize with their peers -There is a targeted program that is carefully planned -Relatively expensive cost -Storage time is usually limited (only during business hours) -The location is far from home, so it requires additional costs for transportation -There is a hassle because they must drop off and pick up the child on time.
6. Others (taken to work, Mom stops working, Mom takes a long leave) -The child is fully cared for by the mother -No special childcare fees -Mother knows exactly the growth and development of her child -Decreased family income because the mother stopped working.
-When the child is older, it is difficult for Mother to return to work.
Almost all respondents stated that the main advantage that they get when their child is cared for is that the mother can concentrate and focus on work. They feel that their child will be safe, and comfortable and have their physical needs met, have friends to play with, and are slightly stimulated in their developmental aspects. In some types of care that use other people, the benefits are affordable costs so they can save on household expenses. As for the disadvantage, almost all respondents stated that they were separated from their children while the mother was working so that the mother could not control the growth and development of her child intensively.

The impact of the type of care chosen on their child's growth and development
The impact of the type of care chosen for the growth and development of the child is based on the respondent's experience when leaving their child while they are working. The impacts presented by the respondents are presented in the order of the highest number mentioned by the respondents.
These impacts are as follows such as, (1) children who are cared for by other people (grandparents, neighbors, housemaid) have an impact on children's behavior, for example: cannot be advised, like to argue, easily cries, and sulk, tends to be aggressive, ignores parental rules. (2) Children's health is not well controlled by parents. This is related to eating patterns and times, hygiene, types of food, the rhythm of life, irregular sleeping, and playing times. (3) Parents cannot stimulate children directly in their growth and development of children. They can only convey it orally or in writing but cannot directly implement it. 4.2.6 The ideal type of care expected since planning to have children When this question was asked during the interview, almost all the respondents were silent and did not immediately answer. They thought for a while to answer. Their answers are collected and then grouped based on similarities or similarities. In general, the ideal type of parenting according to working mothers is summarized as follows; (1) There is no ideal type of parenting. Ideal or not depends on many factors. The main underlying factor is the condition of each child itself. Even in one family, the care provided will differ from one child to another. Parents will treat children differently, according to the conditions and needs of the child. (2) The ideal parenting should be in the hands of the child's parents, especially the mother. No matter how busy a working mother is, she should take care of her child. Why is that? Mothers are considered to know and know their children best, especially when their children are still young. Instinctively, mothers have a deep sensitivity and attachment to their children, so, likely, their children's physical, mental, intellectual, and social-emotional needs will be stimulated simultaneously. However, some mothers feel that they do not have the confidence to raise their children. They feel they do not have the ability, experience, and competence to raise children. This answer was given by several mothers who had their first child.
Another ideal type of care is to enroll children in early childhood education institutions. This type of care is quite ideal because it can be ascertained that the educators in the institution have adequate competence for the care, education, and learning of early childhood. The facilities and infrastructure are considered complete and suitable for children's play and learning. The environment is also considered more conducive because it is well-planned. In addition, the program must also go through careful planning and preparation. Parenting at this institution also has evaluations carried out regularly regarding the growth and development of children and there will be officially reporting to parents. The implementation time is definite and fixed and routine.

Discussion
For every parent, especially for families with working mothers, the choice of parenting is based on many considerations. The main factors considered are the mother's belief and trust in the person who will take care of her child, competence or ability, socio-cultural background, and gender of the caregiver (De Almeida, 2012; Hurst & Zambrana, 1982;Merlina, 2010;Rimba Eka Handini et al., 2017). This factor is considered important because it is related to the parenting pattern that the child will get from the person who cares for him. Another factor to consider is the cost or budget that must be spent on childcare. This factor is an important consideration because one of the reasons mothers works is to earn a living to meet family needs. If the care costs incurred are too large, it will affect the household budget (Xia, 2022).
Another consideration is the social environment, culture, and habits of the surrounding community. These factors include the market price of housemaid salaries, parenting habits, and the views of the surrounding community regarding child care (Handayani et al., 2019;Meier & Mead, 1978;Shao et al., 2022;Xia, 2022). Regarding ideal parenting, the opinion of working mothers in Indonesia is by several research results which state that child care depends on several factors, namely the condition of the child itself, the conditions and abilities of parents, socio-economic and socio-cultural environment in which the family lives (Amalia et al., 2022;Dey et al., 2021;Zimmermann et al., 2022). Some parents make parenting goals or choices about the type of parenting are made together with a partner. They communicate in advance and remind each other if it is not appropriate, but not in front of the child directly. On the other hand, some couples prefer to leave the care of their children to their mothers so that mothers are forced to stop working (Hidayah et al., 2019).

CONCLUSION
One of the toughest problems working mothers face is childcare, especially for children who are still at an early age. They must carefully consider all aspects related to childcare while they are working outside the home. The type of care chosen can be based on very detailed considerations, but it can also be chosen simply because there are no other options. In some cases, the type of care chosen costs more than the income earned by working mothers. However, the choice is still made to maintain the mother's status as a career woman who has a job in a certain office or to be seen by the surrounding community as a family with high economic ability. The recommendation that can be conveyed is that the choice not to take care of yourself should be based on the needs and abilities of the parents. In addition, mothers should consider stimulating the growth and development of children in a good and optimal way.