Many people believe they should get married in their 20s

Of the 1,000 adults questioned, 90% said the ideal age to have children was under 30 and 43% aspired to a lifelong commitment with one partner.

But 80% of those surveyed for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour said unhappily married couples should not stay together just for the sake of their children.

And 38% said the best way to care for a child was for the mother to stay home.

It also found 41% of women felt guilty about placing a pre-school child in childcare compared with 20% of men.

Dr Sarah Childs of the University of Bristol said: "The survey suggests that women are not prepared to settle for merely a 'good enough man'."

The survey has been split into four categories - sex and relationships; work; parenting and caring and domestic arrangements.

Dr Rosie Campbell, of Birkbeck College, has also analysed the survey.

She said: "Women are still doing more of the chores and childcare and they're looking for Mr Right, not Mister Will-Do."

Survey results

The results on sex and relationships found that 90% of men and women say that the ideal age to have children is under 30; 43% of men and women aspire to a lifelong commitment with one partner; 40% say that the ideal age of settling down is between 25 and 27 years old, and 33% say it is as young as between 21 and 24.

HAVE YOUR SAY I'll probably be about 50 before I can sensibly consider having children James Morgan, Cardiff Send us your views

The results on work, lifestyle and parenting found that 38% of men and women felt that a mother at home is the ideal way in which to care for pre-school children, as opposed to only 0.3% for a father staying at home as the childcarer.

When it came to housework, 45% of women and 57% of men reported sharing household chores equally.

The survey's results will be analysed and discussed on the radio programme throughout the week.