2006
(27/03/2006) Money worries cause two million Brits to lose sex drive
- Money concerns are turning us off rumpy pumpy! -
As many as two million British adults admit that worrying about their finances has made them lose their sex drive, according to a new study by insurance giant AXA. The company says that around 1.3 million women and around 732,000 men have lost their libido - and sorting out their finances is the only way to rediscover it.
But who is most likely to lose their libido due to money worries? Of those who have experienced money problems affecting their relationships, over half are either married or cohabiting, 23% are widowed or divorced and perhaps surprisingly 22% are single. And maybe not so surprisingly, the study showed that women are more than twice as likely to let financial problems affect their sex life than men (64% female and 36% are male). In addition, 68% of those who have lost their libido due to money worries are between 35 and 54 years of age.
Regionally, Northerners are most likely to lose their sex drive due to money worries. A massive 25% of those who live in the North who have had their personal relationships affected by money say that their libido has dropped. In contrast, Southerners either have less money problems, or if they do, they tend to prioritise sex over money, as just 14% say that money worries have affected their libido.
So how else do money problems affect our relationships? Of those people who have experienced relationship problems because of their finances:
- 37% of people say they spend less quality time with their partners
- 50% have more arguments and a shorter temper when they are worried about money
- 26% of adults have admitted that money worries make them spend less quality time with their children
Over seven million adults also admitted to avoiding discussing their finances with their partner, family or friends as it causes them anxiety. 3.2 million of these people went as far as to say that they always avoid financial discussions with those closest to them.
Even in the world of fictional soaps and TV dramas, money problems, and the lack communication around these problems, have a big impact on some of our favourite characters, their love-life and livelihoods.
| Top 5 | Programme | Money/relationship problem |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Beale, Eastenders | Nearly all Ian Beale’s relationships have been tainted by his greed and related money problems. After ex-wife Cindy tried to kill him for his money he went bankrupt. But even though he’s now getting back on track he still continues to lie about money, for example, being secret bidder on the Queen Vic, behind current partner’s back. |
| 2 | Sally and Kevin Webster, Coronation Street | Sally keeps spending beyond the family’s means and this causes friction with husband Kevin. Rosie, the eldest daughter is at private school even though they can’t really afford it. This strain is such that recently Sally had an affair. |
| 3 | Patrick and Yolande, Eastenders | Patrick is always sneaking around behind Yolande’s back setting up Poker games. He spends too much money in the betting shop and the Queen Vic pub. This puts a real strain on his relationship with his hard working, God fearing wife Yolande. It’s gotten so bad recently that Patrick even resorted to having an affair with Pat Evans. |
| 4 | David Bishop, Neighbours | David lost most of his family’s wealth on a bad business decision and was too proud to tell his wife when he lost his job. He even pretended to continue going to work everyday. |
| 5 | The Cooper family, The OC | Jimmy and Julie Cooper were heading down the road to ruin and ended up splitting up. Gold digging Julie then married super rich Caleb who, after finding out he wanted a divorce, later tried to poison in order to get her hands on his money. |
Darrin Nightingale of AXA says: “Our study has revealed that this sensitive problem is quite widespread and a person with a financial problem is likely to lean on his or her partner for support and advice. When the original money problem breeds a second, more personal, problem with their relationship, it can make things much harder to deal with. With this study comes the recognition that money worries, and a lack of financial understanding and know-how, are affecting both the mental and physical aspects of their personal relationships.
“At AXA we are committed to exploring how access to financial advice can help improve people’s well being with ‘ AXA Avenue ’ – the UK ’s first ever financial social experiment.”
- Ends -
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Notes to Editors
*Data based on research conducted by TNS among 1022 people over 16. Fieldwork completed between 25 th and 27 th November 2005 .
About AXA Avenue
The ‘ AXA Avenue ’ social experiment launched on 4 November 2005 and will last for one year. The first quarterly report was published on 27 January and revealed that AXA Avenue households achieved an average debt reduction of £1,215 in three months.
Keep up to date with the residents at www.axa.co.uk/avenue
About AXA
AXA is a world leader in financial protection. AXA's operations are diverse with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA employs 120,000 staff and tied agents and, as of 31 December 2005, had € 1,064 billion in assets under management. AXA reported total IFRS revenues of € 72 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of € 3,258 million for the full year 2005. Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
AXA ordinary shares are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange; AXA American Depositary Shares (ADSs) are listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA.