UK: Debt: 'Men are emerging as the new underclass'

Article here. Excerpt:

"The Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) blamed the trend on a combination of rising unemployment, slow pay growth and higher household cost. The group said despite men typically having lower debt levels than in previous years and earning more than women, they were generally less able to repay what they owed than women, while many struggled just to meet their basic living costs.
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Malcolm Hurlston, chairman of the CCCS, said: "Men have been hard hit by the recession and are emerging as the new underclass. Debt alone is no longer the problem. It is loss of income and other rising costs.

"This deterioration in the economic circumstances for men, still the main breadwinner in most homes, has serious implications for many households."

The charity said it had seen the number of men contacting it for help soar from 146,00 in 2007 to 221,000 last year, a 51pc jump. It added that the number of women seeking help had increased by only half this amount over the period, although women were still more likely to contact it than men, accounting for 52pc of its caseload.
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Men who contacted the charity during 2009 owed an average of £26,957, down from nearly £30,000 in 2008, but still significantly higher than the £21,915 that women typically owed.'