Dr Rebecca Meisenbach, professor of communication at Missouri University, questioned 15,000 American female breadwinners for the study, to be published in the journal Sex Roles this week.

Only women without children under 18 said they did not feel a strong sense of responsibility for the home.

Little research has been carried out into the role of the female breadwinner. The only British study, in 2007, found that 14 per cent of homes had one, although recent estimates say around four in ten women in the UK now earn more than their partner.

Dr Meisenbach told the Observer that most of the women she interviewed did not resent the fact that their husband was neither a breadwinner nor a home maker.

By highlighting stories of how men have to be told or asked to do specific chores in he home, these female breadwinners are making sure they still fit gender boundaries of a wife as someone who manages the home and children.