Women are increasingly taking control of financial planning because of the risk of being financially penalised by divorce according to a new Barclays report.

The report shows that increasing divorce rates and co-habitation is leading women to take out their own insurance against relationship breakdown.

The research also reveals that four out of every ten people do not expect financial security to come from their marriage and that 73 per cent of the public believe that women should maintain their financial independence in case of breakdown.

The report believes that &#39relationship risk&#39 will have the greatest impact on lower income groups mainly because of the withdrawal of the state from welfare provision.