This qualitative study focused on the motives and patterns of child care leave by analyzing its facilitating and constraining factors. Fourteen participants were interviewed in-depth using non-structured interview questions. Motives for child care leave include mothers' active choice, mothers' inevitable secondary choice, and mothers' instrumental choice. The patterns of child care leave in terms of total period, time, and distribution vary according to individual circumstances and occupational culture surrounding child care leave for female workers. Female workers will occasionally use this child care leave as a rare opportunity to take a rest during their labor lifecycle and to achieve work-family balance.