Nabbing a wealthy husband might seem like an outdated dream.

But one Mumsnet user asked whether women should still be encouraged to ’marry well’ and find a man who earns enough to support the family financially.

The question divided opinion. Some said ’marrying well’ should not mean finding a rich man but rather a partner who is ’kind and clever with a strong work ethic’ while others warned it was ’idealistic’ to think all women can be financially independent.

Taking to the online forum, Mumsnet user windygallows, who is in her 40s, said she could see the way some of her friends benefited from having a wealthy husband. It allowed them to be stay-at-home mothers without the financial worries.

She explained that as a single mother she had experienced first-hand the ’slog’ of raising a child on one salary, adding: ’Marrying well doesn’t mean a good marriage or relationship but it does make things easier.’

She also argued that speaking to daughters about ’marrying well’ was a ’realistic’ way to tackle the problem.

The post sparked dozens of responses. One user said looking for a wealthy partner would help deal with the ’sad truth’ that even those who work hard can struggle financially.

So you need family money. And if you haven’t got it, life will be easier if you find someone who has,’ the user wrote.

Another pointed out that her husband’s salary had helped her maintain a good lifestyle even after she became disabled and could no longer work.

The user wrote: ’Very fortunately my [husband] is in the top 0.1% of earners so yes I have this disability which impacts hugely on my life; but I am lucky I do not have to think about money and my life would without question be very, very hard as I am not able to earn.’

However other users blasted the ’anti-feminist view’. Several pointed out that marrying rich does not guarantee stability or happiness.

One posted: ’50 per cent of marriages end in divorce and it’s the SAHMs [stay at home mothers] who end up with the most shitty deals in the world when their husbands swan off with an OW [other woman].

’Instead, women need to be financially independent and refuse to give up that independence to become dependent on their husband.’

Others said ’marrying well’ should focus on personal qualities, not a bank balance.

Parents of sons also weighed in, saying they would not want their children to marry a woman who wanted to be ’bankrolled’. One posted: ’The idea of someone marrying him for money makes my blood run cold.’