Women will be the main earners in one in four households by 2030; the news comes despite findings which show that they lag behind men in the earning stakes.

These are the findings by National Savings and Investments (NS&I’s) who conducted the report together with think tank, The Future Foundation.

They found that despite lower earnings than men (women earn £1,080 a month compared to £1,486 for men) the gap in the younger generation is closing fast. Twenty-something women earned a wage equivalent to 93 per cent of men’s wages in 2000, rising to 96 per cent today – a trend that, if it continues, will see women in this age group overtake men in 2015, predict the report authors.

Just over a quarter of women in the younger age group, 16-24 year olds said that they would prefer to be the main breadwinner.

Considering this and the educational advantage women already have, the Future Foundation predicts that women could be the main earner in around one in four couples by 2030, up from 14 per cent today.

William Nelson of the Future Foundation said: “In 2007, we are seeing the emergence of a generation of women who are better educated, more ambitious, and more financially confident than any before them. This generation is already more likely to handle day-to-day financial matters than their male partners, and demands to have at least an equal say in the big decisions.”

Last month, HR Zone reported on findings from The Equal Opportunities Commission which warned that closing the gap between men and women when taking account of health, power, pay, chores and safety etc would take generations.