Nearly a third of women are the main breadwinners in their household, according to a major survey.
Thirty percent earn more than their partners and a further 19 percent earn the same amount.
Researchers said that in many relationships it was no longer assumed that the man would bring in the bigger income, especially in a time of widespread redundancies.
In a significant shift in attitudes, four out of ten women said that the career of whichever partner had the highest income would take precedence in the relationship.
In one in ten families, a house husband looks after the children and does the chores while their female partner works full time.
Ten percent of women admitted this role reversal had put strains on their relationship and some said it had even led to them parting company.
The Women and Work Survey 2010, commissioned by Grazia magazine, found that almost half of full-time mothers disliked not earning their own money.
And two thirds of the mothers among the 2,000 women in the survey said they wanted to keep working in some way after having children.
A slightly higher number of those with children under three said they would prefer to work - preferably part-time - rather than stay at home.
Victoria Harper of Grazia said: 'Women are getting good jobs when they graduate, and working up the career ladder faster than they have ever done.
'This means that there has to be more fluidity between the roles of men and women in a relationship and when they have children.
'Instead of the have-it-all woman who tries to do everything, we are now seeing cross-over couples who share roles.'
