Many politicians have considered quitting Parliament due to the pressures the job places on their family life, according to a poll of MPs.
The survey conducted by the website Mumsnet showed that 28 per cent MPs had thought about leaving Westminster due to the long and unpredictable working hours.
Of the 101 MPs polled 59 said Parliament was "not at all family friendly" and a further 33 said it was "not very family friendly". By contrast only 6 felt the Commons was "quite family friendly" and just one MP said it was "completely family friendly".
Asked to on how their job as an MP had affected their personal life one MP said "no one cares" if they ever saw their two year old daughter and another said they had missed seeing their children grow up and would "regret this to the day I die".
Another said: "It is a hideous stress on your family; I work 360 days a year, the Blackberry never stops buzzing."
The survey also showed that the strain was being felt by the new intake, with one MP elected in 2010 telling Mumsnet: "I am newly elected and cannot see how I can keep this up for the next 4 years without damaging my family relationships."
The Commons regularly sits until past 10pm with MPs required staying nearby in order to vote, 47 per cent of those surveyed said they wanted to see an end to late night voting.
The procedure committeeis currently undertaking a review of sitting hours as part of its inquiry in to parliamentary procedure and is expected to report back before the Summer recess.
While many MPs obviously feel the late nights are damaging their personal life not all of them would welcome a move towards a nine-to-five working day.
Tory James Gray told us that the parliamentary calendar should be adjusted to ensure more sitting days and hours, not fewer. He said "family friendly" hours would destroy the "collegiate atmosphere" of the palace.
"Why is it that MPs spend so many years straining every sinew in trying to get elected to Parliament, and then as soon as they get here leave no stone unturned in an effort to go home again?" he said.
Commenting on the survey findings, CEO and co-founder of Mumsnet, Justine Roberts, said if politicians wanted the country to be more family friendly they needed to lead by example.
She said: "If we want legislation that reflects the needs of families, it seems fair we allow MPs to live as families. The country could waste a lot of talent if we give in to the viewpoint that parliament is no place for a parent with young kids."
A parliamentary nursery was recently opened as part of a push to make the Palace of Westminster more family friendly.
The move was opposed by some MPs who thought it was a waste of money and were angered by the decision to shut down a popular parliamentary bar to make room rather than place the nursery elsewhere.
Mumsnet conducted the survey of 101 MPs between 30th March and 13th April 2011.
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