Vogue's Alexandra Shulman apparently thinks so. But most working mums I know see it very differently.

Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman's Daily Mail piece on working mothers raises many questions (not least why Vogue, the most famous women's magazine in the world, has an editor who seems entirely unsympathetic to her own sex).  Alexandra believes that the law is weighted too far towards working mothers. She is frustrated that Ms Pregnant in her office holds the cards, while she is left trying to manage a business around her demands for flexi-time. It's a valid point, and a reflection of how many employers feel.

As someone who manages a team of women in their 20s and 30s - and who is typing this with one hand while breastfeeding my two-month old - it strikes me that the tragedy of this situation is that working mothers don't feel good either.  Far from feeling supremely in control, at liberty to exploit generous maternity benefits and flexible hours, they mostly feel stressed, exhausted, cash-strapped and bloody guilty about everything.

So, after so much progress, why do both sides still feel painfully hard done by?

Time is the first problem. Professional women may get paid from 9 til 5 but most are expected to be on the Blackberry from the start of the Today programme until after the final bongs; throw in some travel and a couple of business dinners and it's easy to rack up a 70 hour week without even trying.  My parents worked full-time but were always home by 6 pm for dinner.  How many of us can now say the same?

Money is another.  Women - like Alexandra - are often the breadwinner of the family or at least contribute an equal and essential amount. So there's more financial pressure: most of our mortgages are based on the expectation of two salaries. Often mums have to work whether they want to or not; they can't afford the luxury of part-time.

And then there's childcare. As a newcomer to the horrors of finding somewhere appropriate for your child, I can confirm everything you read about it. Waiting lists, expense, limited choices, ridgid hours and that queasy feeling you might be making a terrible mistake.

But traditionally 'feminine' skills - team working, good communication, listening, caution - are increasingly valued in the workplace.  The very idea of us being excluded from the workplace is unthinkable. (Imagine Alexandra trying to run a fashion magazine without the input of women of 'childbearing age'). So what to do?

First, we have to enable better communication between employers and working mothers.  Legislation has been drafted with the very best of intentions, but it's a blunt instrument - and fear of litigation seems to hold people back from having honest conversations about what really can and cannot work. Without honesty, there'll be no progress.

Second, to address Alexandra's concern that nobody will hire women of a certain age, at some point parental benefits will have to be equally available to fathers too.
 
Thirdly it's no good changing the law if the childcare options aren't available to make it work. We have to do better at this. Unless we do, neither employers or parents will be happy.

It'll never be perfect.  But if both sides are flexible, and honest about the realities of modern working life, we can work it out. And it'll be good for all concerned. In our forties and fifties our time management, life skills and confidence will benefit our employers and repay their commitment to us. The two most senior people in our UK business are women and mothers. They're there not because we're the most progressive employer in the land; they are simply the best people for those jobs.