Work and childcare parents struggle

The majority of those questioned (61%) said parents do not get enough time to spend with their children while nearly half (48%) said they had to put their career first even if it affected their family relationships.

The results of the survey commissioned by The Children's Society reflect the growing dilemmas many parents feel as they try to juggle the demands of looking after their family and managing their career in a country that already puts in some of the longest working hours in Western Europe.

The survey is part of the charity's Good Childhood Inquiry - the UK's first national independent inquiry into childhood.

The wide-ranging inquiry, which includes research around the themes of friends, family, learning, lifestyle, health and values, will publish its final report with recommendations in autumn 2008.

While almost half of those questioned (48%) said they did not believe that a pre-school child was likely to suffer if his or her mother went out to work, a significant number (37%) disagreed.

Asked about parental separation, two-thirds of respondents (67%) said they did not believe parents should stay together when they did not get along even if there were children in the family.

According to children who contributed to the inquiry, a happy home life was one in which a family spent time together.

Overwhelmingly both the survey of more than 1,000 adults and children's submissions to the inquiry identified love as the most important component for a happy childhood.

Bob Reitemeier, chief executive of The Children's Society said: "Family is hugely important in the lives of all children yet modern society appears to be pulling them apart. Only by taking a closer look at how a child's need for family can be met in the context of the 21st century can we ensure a good childhood for all children."