Legislation may not be sufficient to break the cycle of women putting in long hours at work as well as in the home, while continuing to earn less money than men, and a complete cultural rethink is needed, says a new report.

Dramatic changes in working patterns have taken place in the UK, particularly in the rise of women in employment. Three quarters of households now have dual incomes, but women still take responsibility for most of the housework, according to research Dr Susan Harkness of Bristol University.

Despite institutional and legislative changes intended to reduce inequality and improve work-life balance, women are still finding themselves working long hours at home and at work and, for their trouble, generally receive less pay than their male equivalents.

As improved wage opportunities for women have emerged in recent decades, more and more married women have taken up paid employment. In 2002, 70 per cent of working age women who were in employment, a rise of 10 per cent since 1979 and, over the same period, employment rates for mothers with pre-school children almost doubled. In contrast, the number of men in employment and the hours that they work has fallen.

"Despite recent progress, there remain employment inequalities between men and women. For example, less qualified women don’t earn as much and are less likely to work full time than comparably qualified men," said Susan Harkness.

Despite men apparently working less, it is predominantly women who take time off to look after sick children, including 60 per cent of women who earn the same or more then their partners.

Working mothers with children put twice as many hours into housework as their partners despite the possibility of ‘role reversal’ in earnings. Housework is more evenly split in dual income households, especially when women earn as much or more than their partners and have no children.

"Being on the run with work and family commitments provides little opportunity to concentrate on the actions necessary for career progression," said Dr Harkness. "Breaking this cycle cannot be achieved by legislation alone and may require a complete cultural rethink."