Fifty-three percent of women are the primary breadwinners, especially as there are more women are rising to this role because of partners losing jobs and marriage after divorce, according to a recent study by Prudential Financial.

Although many women are now breadwinners, only 20 percent of respondents say they feel well prepared to make financial decisions as opposed to 45 percent of men.

"While our past research focused on women who are primary or joint financial decision makers, this new data shows that consistent with demographic trends and reflecting the impact of the financial crisis, the majority of women today are financially responsible for generating their own and their families' income," says Susan Blount, senior vice president and general counsel of Prudential Financial. "The study shows that with women in more control than ever of their finances, they face significant challenges when it comes to financial decision making and admit to a lack of knowledge about financial solutions that can help them."