Move over ladies it’s the lads that are lunching

A life of leisure is proving irresistible to Britain’s thousands of kept men who are enjoying the spoils of women’s toil.

According to new research from Egg, the Citi owned online bank, the number of men in the UK earning less than their partners has doubled in the last five years (from one in ten to one in five).

And whilst this growing group has convinced themselves that a relaxing life is preferential to the rat race, with one in seven (15%) not prepared to give up their life of luxury, this number is slightly lower than five years ago when one in five men (21%) wouldn’t opt for a change in lifestyle.

Many women are completely willing to indulge their menfolk and keep them in the manner to which they have become accustomed. Over half (53%) are happy to be the main earner with one in five enjoying the fact that their financial status gives them more say on what they spend money on.

The life of a kept man is indeed a tempting one for those wanting to escape the office drudge. Two-fifths (43%) of laid-back lads fill their days shopping for clothes at least once a week, a third (29%) meet friends for lunch, followed by a trip to the gym for one in ten (10%) to burn off the calories.

Inevitably though, some ladies subsidising this languorous lads’ lifestyle are unhappy with the situation, and the findings reveal a backlash. One fifth (21%) of women would rather their male partners be the higher earner and one in seven (14%) hanker after a life of leisure for themselves. A further quarter (25%) find their financial role highly stressful with a similar number (27%) resenting being the main breadwinner.

And how would our leisurely lads feel if they had to be the chief earner? Well today’s research revealed that not one would resent it, a change from five years ago when nearly one in ten said (7%) they would resent having to work for a living.

Alison Wright, Chief Marketing Officer at Egg said: “It is encouraging seeing how many women are now finically savvy and taking control of the household’s finances. There really has been a change over the last five years with some of the old stereotypes of who earns the money and who pays the bills being broken down. Whereas men have now fully appreciated that their female counterparts are capable of being the main breadwinners and as a result they seem to be embracing a life of leisure – much to the annoyance of most partners.”