The value of mums is on the rise, study shows

New findings confirm that Britain's mums are quite literally worth their weight in gold when it comes to maintaining the home and raising a family. A survey carried out by Legal & General found that the value of mum's today is worth over £8,000 more than it was in 2005. Mums spend 74 hours each week on household chores and childcare, equating to over £32,000 worth of unpaid work, research revealed.

Alan Ferguson, protection marketing and channel development director, said: "Mums are a rock for many families, making sure that the home runs smoothly, that the children are looked after and often holding down a job of their own.

"Families need to ask themselves how they would cope with all the domestic work and childcare that Mum does if she wasn't around."

Out of all motherly duties, more than a quarter of multi-tasking mums cite tidying and cleaning as their least favourite job.

However, research suggests that in the current economic climate, more men are lending a hand around the house as women return to work outside of the home to boost the family income.