According to a PayPal survey the credit crunch is moving into the bedroom. Some 32% of British couples admit to having had more arguments this year than last about money and household chores.
Carl Scheible, managing director of PayPal UK, says: "As the recession becomes reality, British couples are facing new challenges within their relationships. It’s also good to see that even in these uncertain times money is causing fewer arguments within couples in Britain than in many other countries, such as the United States and Australia."
In the US, 43% of couples said they were having more arguments; 9% of British couples have ended their relationship because of financial issues compared with 14% in the US and Mexico, but just 5% in the Netherlands. Some 9% of UK couples argue over money more than anything else, compared with 31% of couples in the US.
In addition, the old phrase, "what is mine is yours", seems to have lost credence. At the start of 2009, 80% of British couples keep separate bank accounts, up from 71% in 2008. This is markedly higher than the US, where only 57% keep separate accounts.