Women are more likely to be the decision makers when starting a family, a new study has found. The research discovered a strong link between women's relationship satisfaction and financial security and the chances of pregnancy. No such correlation was found between how a man feels and his likelihood of becoming a father.

Though the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, also known as the Hilda report, did find a link between men and starting a family. The Australian study found each additional $AUS1,000 (£569) a woman's partner earned, the probability of getting pregnant went up by 1.5 per cent.

Professor Roger Wilkins, the report author, pointed out that the findings were traditional with gender roles.

"The econometric models don’t lie,” he said. “We find no association between likelihood of starting a family and men’s feelings about their partner and their satisfaction with their financial situation, but a strong association with women.”

Females were less likely to fall pregnant if they were unemployed, regardless of previous income, though these results were halved if the woman was at a company with over 500 employees as the conditions were generally better.

Further findings noted 58 per cent of couples lived in their own home when they started a family, while 64 per cent of men and 62 per cent of women were legally married. This created a strong link between marriage and home ownership and having children. Couples who were legally married were 13.4 per cent more likely to have a child than those who weren't.

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