London, Oct 15 : A new survey has crushed the notion that older women are past their best, by finding that it’s them who are the main earners in their family.

The survey, commissioned by cosmetic company Nivea, found that two out of three women aged over 40 provide the majority of their family's household income.

However, many of these breadwinners think that they don’t get enough help from their partner or employer in managing work and home life, the poll says.

The survey of 500 women aged 40 to 64 discovered that not only did 68 per cent of working women aged over 40 provide most of the family income, but 29 per cent provide the entire amount.

A large majority of these women feel that they would fare better in their jobs if their partners were more supportive and helpful, with around seven in ten believing that men should help more with domestic chores.

Many women also suggested measures through which their employer could support them in a better way. Suggestions ranged from having the opportunity to work from home (27 per cent), offering flexible working hours (26 per cent), better employer support generally (26 per cent) and greater support from work colleagues (13 per cent).

The poll said that the issue of working mothers with young children was a controversial one, with three in ten women saying that those with under-fives should not go out to work.

The survey also suggested that the outlook of working women changed the longer they held down a job, with 40 per cent saying they viewed their career prospects as important when they started working, while only 15 per cent still thinking it vital at present.

"It is disturbing that so many women feel they need greater support from the workplace and partners in order to improve their working lives and give them a better work-life balance,” the Daily Mail quoted a spokesman for Nivea, as saying.

"Some women still feel that they face a glass ceiling if they are career minded and many perceive there to be a need for greater equality of opportunity in the workplace,” he added. (ANI)