Context

At the time of this report, there was much less research published about the relationship between men and debt than there was about women and debt. This was a concern because anecdotal evidence suggested that men were less likely to seek advice early when faced with debt, and because other research showed that those who seek advice early have better outcomes. The study was undertaken to gain some insight into the relationship between men and debt, and to understand how to make money advice more accessible to men.

The study

The study had two phases:

• A secondary analysis of qualitative data from a previous study of experiences of credit and debt amongst both men and women in low-income families.
• Primary research comprising 20 in-depth interviews with men aged 25-63, in primarily low-to-average income households in the East Midlands who self-identified as having problematic levels of debt.

The aims of the study were as follows:

• To gain contextual information from the previous study, focusing on debt advice.
• To explore ‘triggers’ into debt for men on low incomes.
• To explore male patterns of domestic money management.
• To explore the strategies men use in dealing with problem debt.
• To explore men’s attitudes towards and experience of debt advice services.
• To understand barriers to men accessing advice.

Key findings

The secondary analysis revealed the following:

• Very few of the men had sought debt advice, in contrast to women.
• Men were unlikely to talk about their debts at all, even informally within the family.
• The main reason for men not seeking advice was a feeling that they should be able to sort out their problems themselves.

Key findings from the primary research were:

• a lack of sustained employment was the primary trigger. This applied to men who were reliant on benefits, who churned in and out of work, had lost overtime, experienced business failure or been made redundant. The debts of a small number of men were associated with addictions.
• How debt was managed depended on the nature and dynamics of the relationship of the couple in the household. Most of the households in this research had exhausted any savings buffer that may have helped them to manage their debts.
• Just over half the sample had sought advice but not all had managed to access it. Those who failed to access advice were reluctant to try again. Those who did receive advice spoke positively about both practical and emotional benefits. Those who had not sought advice had only a patchy awareness of what was available.
• These included gendered divisions of 'financial labour' (seen as part of the woman's role), emotional barriers, over-optimism, lack of awareness and misunderstanding of advice services, distrust of commercial services, a lack of confidence or social skills, and a need to see themselves as being in control and able to do it themselves.

Key conclusions and recommendations were as follows:

• Policies should focus on sustainable jobs and supporting low income households to save.
• Treatment and prevention services should be made available for those with or at risk of addictions. There is a need to make advice services more accessible to men by targeting services or promotions at places where men are likely to be; by giving advice packs to couples setting up home; by emphasising the not-for-profit nature of services; and by framing advice as ‘helping men to help themselves’.

Points to consider

• This was a qualitative study based on a small sample in a limited geographical area and as such, the results should be seen as indicative only.
• The topic of debt is highly relevant as personal debt is at a high level in the UK, and problem debt puts peoples’ financial and emotional wellbeing at risk.
• The small scale and limited geographic reach of this research requires a degree of caution in generalising the findings to the wider population of UK men.
• This report is applicable to anyone with an interest in personal debt such as charities and support agencies, government, policy makers, regulators or educators.

Full report

Men, money advice and the road to financial health - full report