As part of our new Peer Support for Parents project, we’re looking back at some of our previous work on Mums Supporting Mums, a project where we worked with mums in rural areas. One of the resources we produced was ‘Our Working Lives’, a booklet for mums who are thinking about going back to work or are trying to work out what is the right thing for them.

Many of the women we met talked about their jobs or lack of jobs; fitting jobs into family life; and how having children has affected their choices, both for the good and the not so good. Although they were from different walks of life – some had never worked; some work in highly-paid jobs; some lived in towns; others on farms – they had more in common than differences. And they also shared the same worries and hopes.

We realised it could be helpful for any woman in the same circumstances to see what they said. So we set out:

• What women told us about combining work and children

• Some of the issues they face

• Some ideas for you to think about

• Some top tips for women and others

You can read the full resource here. As this information was compiled in 2013, some may be out of date or no longer accurate- we recommend double checking if you think something may not be right!