A THIRD of mothers in low- to middle-income working families in Britain are the main breadwinners, a report revealed yesterday.

There are two million maternal breadwinners, making up 33 per cent of mothers in working families, according to a new report published by progressive think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).

Maternal breadwinning is more prevalent in Britain than in Germany, where 27 per cent of mothers are the main earners.

Single mothers make up less than half of the women (42 per cent), while more than half of in-work German mothers (52 per cent) do not have a partner.

The majority of breadwinning mothers (43 per cent) work in the health, social work and education sectors while only 23 per cent of all British employees do.

The typical model of a male breadwinner and female caregiver is “long gone” in Europe, according to IPPR senior research fellow Giselle Cory.

IPPR said that the government should help “diverse family structures” by making flexible working more available, equalising parental leave allowances and increasing the affordability of high-quality childcare.

Ms Cory said: “Work and family policies need to keep up with changing family structures to ensure that all families are supported to balance work and care.”