Working women are less likely than men to have financial back up should they be unable to work.

A report from protection specialist Bright Grey reveals that almost half (46%) of working women describe themselves as the main earner in their household. Not only are women increasing their earning power but they are also gaining a stronger financial voice in the home. More than three in five (61%) working women state they are the most likely to raise money discussions in the home, compared to a lower 57% of working men who state they would raise them.

 Working women are also just as likely to make the financial decisions in their household with nearly half (44%) saying they predominately make the financial decisions in their household – compared to just over half (53%) of working men who state they would make them. Almost three in five (59%) of married couples say they consult each other on all financial issues.

However, the Women and Protection report finds that 16% of working women do not have a savings account. This equates to more than two million women. Meanwhile, more than a third of working females (35%) say that they do not have a pension in place, compared to 30% of working men.

In terms of protection insurance products, over half (53%) of working women admit that they have no life insurance cover in place while four in five (84%) working women do not hold income protection products. A similar number of working women (78%) do not hold either a critical illness policy or private medical insurance (81%).

"As earnings levels even up and the level of financial responsibility in households is more equally divided, women could be putting themselves at risk by not protecting their income – especially if a household is dependent on their salary," says Roger Edwards, proposition director at Bright Grey.

Opinium Research surveyed 2,010 UK adults aged over 18.