More than a third of mothers are turning traditional family structures around and taking control of their family's purse strings.

According to Nationwide Building Society's Great British Family Report, 38% of woman say they manage the budget compared with 27% of men.

Around a third (34%) of families said the responsibility for money management was split evenly between both parents.

The survey was carried out among 2,000 families with at least one child under 18 years old still living at home.

It found families had an average of around £8,000 in savings, while one in nine (11%) families surveyed had more than £20,000 put away.

Families also owed an average of £1,618 on credit cards and £1,315 on personal loans.

Fathers worked an average of 35 hours per week and mothers averaged 25 hours. However, the fairer sex said they also racked up 17 hours every week doing household chores including cooking, cleaning and laundry – 10 hours more then their partners.

After paying the main bills, families typically said they had an average of £183 of disposable income a week to spend.

Just over half (51%) of those surveyed used childcare such as after-school clubs, costing around £2,000 a year per family.

Families also typically had two holidays a year, with 30% of those who go away spending more than 10% of their annual income on breaks – but one in eight (13%) were not able to go on holiday together at all.

Phil Smith, Nationwide's head of current accounts, said: 'Families should make time to review the household budget regularly.

'Staying on top of finances and learning to put any excess cash away will ensure that goals can be set and achieved. It also provides a cushion for any unforeseen costs or problems arising at short notice.'