Working mothers don't have enough time in the day and feel guiltier than stay-at-home mums, but they're just as happy even though they believe their careers often face a glass ceiling, according to a US study.
The study by the Pew Research Centre, which analysed several office surveys about work-family issues, found most people thought women should work, with 75 per cent of Americans rejecting the idea that a woman's place is at home.
Women now make up almost half of the US workforce, or 47 per cent, up from 38 per cent in 1970.
But the study found that although 59 per cent of women work or are seeking work, many remain conflicted about the competing roles at work and at home, feeling far more guilty about how they are balancing work and children than fathers.
They are more likely than either stay-at-home mothers or working dads to feel as if there is not enough time in the day.
Four out of every 10 say they always feel rushed, compared with a quarter of the other two groups, according to data collected by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, with 62 per cent of working mothers saying they would prefer to work part-time.
Only 37 per cent of working mothers would prefer to work full-time compared to 79 per cent of working fathers saying they would prefer full-time work.
"But despite these pressures and conflicts, working moms, overall, are as likely as at-home moms and working dads to say they're happy with their lives," the researchers said in a statement.
They found 36 per cent of working mothers were very happy with their lives - the same as at-home mothers - while single mothers with children aged under 18 were the least happy group.
Stay-at-home mothers rated their parenting skills more highly than their working peers, with 43 per cent giving themselves a score of nine or 10 on the job they are doing as parents. Only 33 per cent of working mothers rated themselves a nine or 10.
The study found stay-at-home mothers tended to be young, Hispanic or foreign-born. Only 21 per cent of at-home mothers are college graduates and African American women were more heavily concentrated among working mothers.
When asked why there are not more women in top-level business positions and high political offices, 49 per cent said women were being held back by the "old-boy" network.
The second reason, cited, by 44 per cent of respondents, was that the doors have not been open long enough for women to make it to the top while the third reason, at 38 per cent, was that there are few women in high positions to inspire others.
The survey found only 34 per cent of people believed family responsibilities did not leave women time to run a major corporation.
The researchers said this study showed mothers would prefer to work part-time but the realities of the job market meant it was going to be more difficult for women to find flexible jobs.
Working fathers were starting to help out more at home, with previous studies showing they spend twice as much time caring for children and doing housework as they did in the 1960s but mothers would continue to bear the brunt of the work and guilt.
"For their part, most fathers are content to work full time and few seem to feel conflicted over their competing roles at work and at home," said the researchers.
"Working women are left to wrestle with the competing demands of work and family."