Many women are looking for men who earn enough to let them stay at home, according to a survey by FHM magazine.

When children came into the equation the pressure was even greater on the man to earn sufficient money to enable the woman to be ‘a full-time mother’.

The survey found that half of all men with young children felt under pressure from their wives or partners to hit an earnings level where the woman had no need to work herself.

Only one man in eight has a wife or live-in girlfriend who wants to work full time, no matter what he earnsm and 71% of the men surveyed said that they did not want the role of sole breadwinner in their household.

“Men like the idea of spending more time with their children and sharing the huge financial burden that today’s families face,” said FHM spokesperson Chris Bell.

“The problem is that women are now changing their minds and more and more of them want to give up work when the first child comes along.”

Older couples too have problems. “I have wanted to give up work for a few years now but my husband says we can’t afford it,” said 52-year-old Samantha Payne.

“I enjoy my career but there’s more to life than child-rearing and work and now I want to travel and relax. We have to find a solution quickly.”