Divorce can leave men financially vulnerable

Single men owe more money than single women or people with partners - but worry about it less, figures published on Wednesday indicate.

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) interviewed 55,000 people struggling with debt.

The single men, aged between 25 and 39, had average unsecured debts of nearly �14,910, including those on credit and store cards but excluding mortgages.

But for single women of the same age the figure was �11,416.

The single men had bigger salaries than the single women - but owed, on average, 16.32 times their net monthly incomes compared with 13.05 times for women and 13.66 for couples.

The CCCS says that is because women worry more while men take longer to realise the gravity of their situations and seek help.

Relationship breakdowns

And while women take responsibility for everyday family spending, men have failed to acquire the same budgeting skills.

Divorce or relationship breakdowns leave men particularly vulnerable, the report says.

CCCS chairman Malcolm Hurlston said it was harder to teach men about money, as they were "traditionally hard to reach with educational messages and slow to seek help".

And he called for much more effort to be put into basic financial education for young men.