Women across the country are calling out for their father's help when things go wrong in the home, according to a study released today.

Casting aside girl power, Norwich Union's 'Home Ignorance' research reveals that nine in ten women are clueless when it comes to practical home emergencies, forcing them to rely on others. And their first port of call is dear old dad - with half of women under 34 relying on their father to save the day.

And if Dad's not available, two in five women ask the other man in their life to fix the problem.

But today's 'new man' openly admits he lacks the skills around the home of previous generations - less than a third are confident they could take a home emergency, such as a burst pipe, in hand.

However despite their concerns, one in three 'have a go' males would still attempt to sort out the problem themselves first - admitting in the same breath that they would probably end up having to call for help at a later date at great emotional and financial cost.

Louise Spear from Norwich Union said: "There's no need to be ashamed that we have lost our practical touch. It's a different world today and men and women have new priorities and expectations compared to previous generations. Working longer hours, we want to be free to relax and enjoy ourselves in our leisure time rather than learn how to be practical around the home."

The research also found that as well as being ignorant in the event of an emergency, people weren't taking basic precautions to prevent home emergencies happening in the first place, so Norwich Union has put together a few simple tips to help you protect your home:

• Find the off switch - locate your mains water stopcock, gas and electricity switches. Try looking under your kitchen sink, in a downstairs toilet or possibly in the garage. And once you find the switch, check it works - try it out to make sure it does what it's supposed to.
• Simple maintenance - regularly maintain your guttering, plastering etc. Simple maintenance now will save costly repairs in the future.
• Err on the side of caution - make sure you double check that appliances are switched off at the socket when you leave your house for a prolonged period of time - but don't turn supplies off at the mains. Turning your heating off in the winter could lead to burst pipes.
• Get to know your neighbours - our research shows that only 4% of us would get our neighbour to check up on our property if we went away. In an emergency, your neighbour could be essential to damage limitation by keeping a spare key and checking up on your property. If they live in a similar building they may be able to forewarn you of any problems they have suffered in the past.
• Don't get DIY dippy - and start knocking out large holes in your walls without being certain that you know there are no pipes behind the wall. Look at your plugs and sockets, radiator pipe-work, could the supply be behind the plaster? Check by tapping on the wall and listening for a hollow sound.

No one's home is infallible and so to help homeowners deal with emergencies, Norwich Union has created a Home Emergency product designed to fill the gap left by some home insurance policies which cover resulting damage, but not always the cost of repairs for the immediate problem.

Providing a 24-hour helpline, the policy covers a variety of home emergencies, including blocked drains, electrical wiring problems and leaking roofs. Once notified, a reliable tradesman will be sent out to do a quality job usually within the same day.