A study of married couples in the US has revealed the proportion of wives earning more than their husbands has risen more than five-fold since 1970. With that has come greater control by women of household finances. ''Marriage has been a way for men to raise their economic standing in recent decades when traditionally marriage has been a way for women to increase their economic standing.'' Andrew Cherlin, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University who specialises in the study of marriage, said the findings showed a fundamental change in marriage. ''It shows a shift in the basic marriage bargain. Under the old bargain, men earned the money and women took care of the house,'' he said. ''Now the bargain is that they both work and marriage is a pooling of income. The two-earner couples are the winners. Increasingly, they are better off.''

As it is increasingly hard to buy a house in Australia based on one income, this two income trend is likely to stay:  ''Certainly there are still some men who are insecure about women who earn more than they do,'' said Professor Cherlin. ''But increasingly they are pleased and less pressured than a generation ago. Fifty years ago a man would be embarrassed and ashamed of a woman working. No one thinks that any more.''