Women prefer the single life to men because they put the work in, new research suggests.

Data from a survey carried out by consumer analysts Mintel shows that 61 percent of single women are happy with their relationship status compared to 49 percent of single men.

The study also showed that 75 percent of single women have not actively looked for a relationship in the past year, compared to 65 percent of single men.

The trend was particularly strong among women over 45. While 32 percent of single women aged between 45 and 65 were very happy alone, the same was true of just 19 percent of men of the same age.

Professor Emily Grundy, of the University of Essex, said that women tend to work harder in relationships than men do.

"There's evidence that women spend longer on domestic tasks than men and I think they also do more emotional work - so they still do more housework and cooking and things as well as more emotional labour," she said.

Women are more likely to try to resolve problems or arguments the couple is dealing with, as well as carry out more physical work such as chores, she said.