Mothers cut short their career breaks

These days, however, many don't have the luxury of more than two.

The rising cost of living combined with a reluctance to give up the perks of well-paid jobs means many mothers return to work much earlier than previous generations.

Those of 34 and under stay off work for an average of 2.3 years to look after their children, compared with 6.7 years 30 years ago, a study has found. Massive mortgages and other debts have contributed to the shift, as well as the fact that more women are in highly-paid senior managerial roles.

The research, based on interviews with more than 1,000 women, also showed many earn more than their partners - an added incentive to return to work earlier.

Family campaigners expressed concern at the trend, saying children whose mothers went to work earlier could suffer emotionally and grow up with poor communication skills. Others regarded it as simply a sign of changing pressures in society.

Linda McBain, of Investec Private Bank, which commissioned the study, said: "Starting a family can be a huge financial strain.

"Not only do you have the added cost of looking after your children, but in many cases the household income can drop significantly as women take time off work to raise them.

"Many women are probably taking shorter career breaks than they would have done 20 years ago because households increasingly need two incomes.

In addition to this, there are now many more women in senior managerial roles enjoying attractive packages "from their employers, and they can find it difficult to walk away from their achievements just because they have started a family."

Philippa Gee, of financial advisers Torquil Clark, said: "The basic cost of living has increased significantly - a mortgage costs a lot more, people may be coping with debts and then there is childcare. They have also got to look at the ongoing costs of having a child and their future provision for that child."

Anna Lines, of the campaigning group Full Time Mothers, said: "It is not great news for children, because it means they are going to be looked after by a succession of people who are not going to have the same level of interest in them as their parents.

"Women are going back to work just to survive, and it is a terrible dilemma which was created by a previous generation who wanted it all."