Despite the increasing policy interest in work-life balance issues, relatively little research has been carried out into the links between self-employment and family life. This report considers, for the first time, the extent to which new family-friendly initiatives and legislation provide adequate support for self-employed parents. Drawing on an analysis of survey material from 10,000 families with children, the report explores topical issues such as: whether self-employment offers working parents greater flexibility than other forms of employment the price of flexibility difficulties in relation to childcare differences between the experiences of self-employed mothers and fathers