An economic dinosaur lives on in Australia: the male breadwinner. Despite decades of sweeping social and economic change he's survived surprisingly unscathed. And there's evidence our male breadwinner model is especially potent.

Researchers have found the male breadwinner is proving much more resilient in Australia than many comparable countries, where a dual-earner model is becoming the norm.

Traditional view: Gisella Edwards with husband Simon and children Gabriella, 2, and newborn Sebastian. Credit:Kate Geraghty

A study of the relationship between housework time and women's earnings by University of Queensland researchers Janine Baxter and Belinda Hewitt concluded Australia has a "much stronger" male breadwinner culture than the US.

"We are very different to the US; we are certainly very different to Scandinavia and other parts of Europe," Professor Baxter said.