Work carried out by mothers around is valued at up to £32,000 per annum but only 53 per cent have life insurance says Legal & General.

A ‘Value of a mum’ study by the insurer found that the average mother spends 74 hours every week on household chores and childcare. According to the report, it would cost these mothers £32,812 per annum to get their house chores done by professionals.

The research by L&G also revealed that just 53 per cent of mothers have taken out a life cover and just 26 per cent have critical illness cover.

Speaking for Legal &General, Alan Ferguson reportedly said: “Mums are a rock for many families. Life insurance and critical illness cover can help provide peace of mind that a family could maintain its living standards if mum wasn’t around.”

Recent reports show that millions of women who have taken career breaks in order to look after their children and part-time workers as well as people who have worked overseas have broken National Insurance contribution records.

Figures show that just 30 per cent of women across the UK qualify for the full basic state pension of £90.70 a week, compared to 95 per cent of men (who require 44 years of NICs to qualify while women need 39).