At present, we have at best half the ingredients for women with children to develop a satisfactory working life. The other half must include shorter hours for their male partners, so that they can do more to help at home, and greater equality in pay so that women do not need to work so long to balance the household budget

Dr Michael White Policy Studies Institute

Women are also expressing increasing dissatisfaction about the amount of time they are spending at work.

In 1992, 51% of women were either "completely satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their working hours but by 2000 this had fallen to just more than one quarter - 29%.

The findings form part of a government-backed research programme into the future of work and will be presented at a conference next week.

Raw deal

Worse news for young mothers, in particular, is that mothers work more hours, rather than less as children get older.

According to the report, the biggest change in hours women work is for those whose youngest child is at secondary school - between 12 and 15 years old.

Women in this situation worked five hours a week more on average in 2000 than in the early 1990s.

Another factor which has increased women's hours is the use of information technology (IT).

IT is now used in 64% of women's jobs, compared to in only 51% in 1992.

By 2000, however, women using IT in their jobs worked 3.4 hours per week longer than non-users.

Working in an environment where unions were recognised, although to a lesser extent, also increased working hours.

Dr Michael White, of the Policy Studies Institute and co-director of the study said: "At present, we have at best half the ingredients for women with children to develop a satisfactory working life.

"The other half must include shorter hours for their male partners, so that they can do more to help at home, and greater equality in pay so that women do not need to work so long to balance the household budget."

Superwoman?

On Thursday, Shirley Conran, author of Superwoman, the best-selling bible for modern women, advised women to go on a baby strike, while she was being interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme.

Ms Conran suggested that women should stop having children for ten years because there was not enough support for mothers.

She also said children faced poor education, health and job prospects.

Ms Conran said: "My parents had no children in World War Two because it was an impractical time to have children - and now is an impractical time to have children.

"One in five children suffer stress relate problems, children can't use public transport. If you educate them privately you're in debt for life, if you don't they go to state schools that are sometimes scandalous.

"Medical care in Britain is not very good and horror stories are daily."

Ms Conran, who is the chairman of the Work-Life Balance Trust and a ministerial adviser, concluded that the best British women could do if they really wanted to have a baby was "marry a Frenchman and have one over there."