Outsourcing our lives and creating emptiness

By Zhao Hui
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, October 17, 2012
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Reasons for entrusting your life: cheap labor and busy days

"Since the act of entrusting is manifesting itself in more and more areas of our lives, DIY is no longer an honor but a symbol of failure," Hong Huang, CEO of China Interactive Media Group wrote in her column. Entrusting family affairs to strangers is hollowing out our lives , said Hong, but we have to admit our failure to dedicate ourselves to the family due to busy work.

A survey conducted by a Beijing market-research firm shows that 41 percent of white collars are suffering from huge pressures as well as psychological fatigue. To ease the pressure on themselves, they choose to have others to shoulder the toilsome and time-consuming housework.

The demand for housekeeping services is essential to the increase in the salary of the housekeepers, which has risen from 1,300 to 2,600 yuan within four years, according to the statistics gathered by a Beijing home service company.

Return to the family

A sense of security serves as the paradox in the housekeeping service and the lack of that security leads us to choose the most professional services; however, we may feel restless about having strangers taking care of our most cherished things like children, food and dogs.

Research on housekeeping services, conducted by the Academy of Society and Science in Shanghai in 2006, showed hat one third of families in Shanghai would not hire a housekeeper because of their mistrust towards the employees' professional skills as well as health conditions. Following the trend of entrusting housework to strangers, people are starting to rethink their decision and wonder if there is a choice out there that would better suit their families.

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