Balancing a career and raising kids has become the norm for mums across England – but the support they get still depends heavily on where they live.
Merseyside has been ranked as one of the best places to live for working mums in a survey conducted by Co-working Cafe.
Birkenhead was ranked 6th overall, and Liverpool was ranked 8th in England for the most cost-effective and budget friendly places for working mums to live. However, does the study live up to its expectations?
A lot of the statistics appear favourable for working mums. Such as the lowest childcare fees in the country at £5/hr and a rise in hybrid roles across Liverpool, creating opportunities for parents to spend more time with their children, but these opportunities aren’t always available to everyone.
Vicki from The Mum Club, a Merseyside based community that create events each month for mothers, said: “I meet a lot of new mothers who have moved to the Wirral from London or the south – some obvious reasons would be more affordable housing.
“The Wirral has some lovely baby groups, beautiful places to get outside and great independent businesses in some parts but in contrast to that, the Wirral is also home to one of the poorest most deprived areas in the North West.”
But, she also feels the demand on women and mothers feels bigger than ever.
She said: “In between working, raising a family, self-care, maintaining friendships etc, I think there are many things that could change; from better funding towards childcare, more flexible working hours, just a few to name a few.
“Mothers are feeling it all, the load is well and truly heavy and it’s hard to juggle so much. I think the main thing that helps move people towards success is community, but unfortunately something we often lack in modern motherhood.”
The 2025 Indices of Deprivation ranked Liverpool the 12th most deprived of the 296 local authorities in England, and the Wirral’s overall deprivation rank is 106th. However, they have both improved from the previous 2019 statistics.
But the picture isn’t universally positive. Many families still face good schools being over-subscribed, rising childcare fees and patchy access to flexible work depending on their sector in the region.
Merseyside is ‘ranked’ to be a region with genuine strengths and a growing reputation for supporting working parents, but the experiences as a parent vary from borough to borough.
