Working mothers still find it a battle to make a job pay

Nevertheless, their frantic efforts to hold everything together are frequently admired by others, prompting incredulous calls of: “I don’t know how she does it”.

The phrase is also the name of a new film about a busy working mother, starring Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker.

And while SJP may at times be a little more glamorous than most ordinary working mothers feel, they’ll still identify with many aspects of her character’s hectic life as she juggles a high-flying job and a family.

There are increasing numbers of working mothers like SJP’s character – figures from the Office for National Statistics show that last year, there were about 5.3 million working mothers in the UK, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Overall, 66 per cent of mothers work either part or full-time.

But rather than others marvelling about how they do it, those mothers might appreciate some advice on how to do it even better.

Working mother Katie O’Donovan, of the parents’ social networking website Mumsnet, agrees the life of a working mother can be tough.

“Exhaustion, frustrations at work and exorbitant childcare costs are often par for the course,” she says, “but many Mumsnetters find work gives them a new lease of life, not to mention some vital extra income.

Lots of working parents report they are far calmer and in some cases better parents than when they spent all their time at home.

“But no one has yet discovered the universal solution to the work/life/childcare conundrum.”

O’Donovan, who has two children aged four and two, believes increasing numbers of businesses are recognising the value of being family friendly, giving greater flexibility to parents and knowing they’ll get it back in loyalty and hard work.

But she warns: “While some bosses see the value of working flexibly so parents have time off to see the school play, many still expect mums to pretend their families don’t exist the minute they cross the threshold at work. There’s still a long way to go.”

A survey of working parents released this month by the Daycare Trust and Save the Children found that two-thirds say they can’t afford not to work, but struggle to pay for childcare.

In fact, the report found that a quarter of working mothers have been plunged into debt due to the crippling cost of childcare.

HELPING TO KEEP FAMILY LIFE RUNNING

Mumsnet has come up withe some top tipes to help you successfully balance work and home life are:

* Sort out back-up options for when the child or childminder is ill, or you suddenly have to work extra hours.

* Get lunches, clothes and bags for you and the children ready every evening.

* Make lots of lists - what to do at home, eat for tea, food to buy, do at work.

* Internet shopping and meal planning are life-savers for many.

* Juggling family and work is the job of both parents - not just the mum. Men can be stay-at-home parents, can work part-time, pick kids up from school, pack lunches and do the washing too.

* For more information on returning to work and child care issues visit www.daycaretrust.org.uk