HAS the idea of being a full-time housewife ever crossed your mind? If so, take a second before making any decision, as the life of a housewife in Shanghai can be quite hard.

"There is already research showing that full-time housewives are more inclined to suffer from mental problems such as certain types of autism," said Zhou Meizhen, an expert from Shanghai Women Cadres' School.

In Shanghai, full-time housewives are still small in number, as the long advocated policy that women have the right to a career has led almost all of Shanghai's women to find a job outside the home.

No housewife organizations have ever been founded here.

This is different from Western countries, where clubs targeting housewives will organize activities for them, such as community work. The chances for a Shanghai housewife to find social interaction are greatly reduced after they quit their jobs.

"Many of the housewives I know are just killing time by playing mahjong or frequenting beauty salons, which is not a healthy lifestyle," said Cai Lanzhen from the Shanghai Women's Federation.

"Besides, public opinion is still biased against women who choose to be full-time housewives, which also adds to the mental pressure," Zhou said.

The lack of opportunity to socialize while working as a full-time housewife may affect the women in other ways. Becoming out-of-date in knowledge and skills is one common problem they face and this can lead to a growing gap with husbands and children, as well as making it difficult for them to find a new job if they become bored with the life of a housewife.

A more serious problem is that their economic dependence may result in their finding themselves in a subordinate position in their families.

"I have received calls from many women saying that they don't want to divorce even though their husbands have had an affair or have physically abused them," said Zhou, who also runs a women's hotline in Shanghai.

"An important reason is that they will have to face a great drop in their living conditions after divorce. The long-time separation from learning about new techniques and the tough competition outside would make it hard for them in a job hunt."

The economic situation in China today means that the social insurance system is far from perfect.

In Western countries, social legislation gives good protection to divorced women, who can receive different subsidies.

"Of course, these problems can all be avoided, but given the cultural and economic situation of the country nowadays, the risks are obviously high for those who choose to be full-time housewives," Zhou said.

Jenny Zhang, a young white-collar employee agrees with Zhou. However, she said she has noticed some signs of an ideological trend to get women to go back home.

"An important reason for women to go back home is to give better family education to the children, but how can a woman who has become slow because she has to focus on household chores give her children a good education?" she asked.