Around two-thirds of new mothers are considering starting their own business, driven by a better work-life balance and high childcare costs.

That’s the finding from a new study of 721 mums by Direct Line for Business, which also showed that half of them thought they would be better off financially after creating a home-based start-up.

It follows separate stats revealing that the number of self-employed people in the UK has increased by 500,000 since 2008.

Some 20 per cent of respondents to the Direct Line survey said they were considering the move to get more time with their children.

A sixth of them said it was because childcare costs were too high. The Family and Childcare Trust estimates full-time childcare costs are around £11,700 per year for two children.

Jazz Gakhal at Direct Line for Business said: “The costs of sending a child to day care, or hiring a nanny continue to spiral.

“It’s great to see that mums are tackling this problem with such an entrepreneurial spirit, as they understand considerable child care cost savings can be made by running a business from home.”