Fixed working hours, significant gender pay gaps and limited promotion prospects from employers, mean that more and more women are looking to take control of their work-life balance by starting their own business.

The Franchise Group is encouraging mothers to consider franchising as a way to get back into work, claiming there is a 90 per cent success rate in franchising, compared to just 20 per cent among new start-ups.

More than 30 per cent of all new businesses are currently started by women and a key reason for this is the opportunity to be their own boss.

Running a small business often requires the ability to undertake many different roles simultaneously. These are challenges perfectly suited to working mothers who already undertake multiple tasks at home everyday and franchising is an increasingly popular option for women wanting flexibility at work and the opportunity to reap the rewards from their previous experience.

Peter Finlay at The Franchise Group says: ‘Often we meet women with huge amounts of business experience who don’t want to be overlooked in the workplace just because they’ve started a family.

‘Franchising offers the opportunity for these women to have the independence of being responsible for their own business, with the security of a skilled network of individuals and an established brand already in place.’

For more information about franchising, see our Franchise section.