Wanderlust women

They are young, single and ready to take on the world. But while women are relishing their new-found freedoms and turning their backs on marriage in favour of independence and adventure, the opposite seems to be happening to men.

A survey has found that young, unattached women have far more in common with Lara Croft than Bridget Jones, but young men are becoming a breed of stay-at-homes.

They are increasingly insecure and anxious, with growing numbers dreaming of settling down.

'Men are more likely to prioritise being in a steady relationship and getting married or cohabiting,' said Nicola Stuber, author of the report, Singletons.

'Unattached women seem more adventurous in some ways than unattached men - they are more inclined to take time out to travel and see the world and are also more enthusiastic about selfimprovement.

'Women are becoming more independent, but men like to have a steady relationship so there's someone to rely on.'

Researchers Mintel found that 39 per cent of single men believed being in a relationship was one of the most important things in life, compared with 26 per cent of single women.

Men were also more likely to be thinking about marriage, with 21 per cent considering it important compared with 15 per cent of women.

Women, on the other hand, found things such as travel and selfimprovement more important.

Thirty-eight per cent of women cited 'learning new skills' as a priority, compared with just 17 per cent of men, while 'having a good holiday' was considered important by 42 per cent of women, compared with 38 per cent of men.

The effect this reversal of gender attitudes is having can be seen in the number of female celebrities whose relationships suffer because of their determination to put their freedoms first.

Angelina Jolie - who plays Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider films - found visiting refugee camps around the world in her role as a UN ambassador got in the way of her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton.

The couple later split and Miss Jolie, 27, who has an adopted baby son Maddox, recently admitted having sex in hotel rooms with a string of single men, saying it was 'about what I can handle right now'.

Joely Richardson's relationship with TV presenter Jamie Theakston first came under strain when she decided to undertake a five-month theatre stint in New York.

And Cameron Diaz, 31, has insisted she does not want to marry following rumours that her boyfriend, pop star Justin Timberlake, 23, planned to propose.

'Everybody thinks that just because they might be searching for that special person to spend their life with, I am,' she said recently.

Travel has also taken its toll on the new breed of British round-the-world yachtswomen.

Emma Richards, 29, who competed in the 2002/03 Around Alone race, said: 'It is difficult for relationships but I don't regret any of it.' Fellow sailor Tracy Edwards, 41, blamed the sport for the break-up of her marriage to computer engineer Chris Cosslett.

'It's impossible - sailing and relationships never work, especially if you are single,' she said last year. 'Men are less tolerant of being away. But that's a price you have to pay.' Richard Scase, professor of sociology at Kent University, and author of the book Britain in 2010, the Changing Business Landscape, said: 'We now have more assertive, selfconfident women, much more inspirational than men, much more risk-taking and more enterprising'.