Pocket money: Boys get 13% more than girls, survey finds

Boys received 13% more weekly pocket money than girls in the past year, a survey suggests.

Halifax's annual pocket money survey, which involved more than 1,200 children and 575 parents, found on average children got £6.55 - the highest level since the credit crisis began in 2007.

But while parents gave boys aged between eight and 15 an average of £6.93 a week, girls got £6.16.

Boys were also more likely to complain and ask for more, the survey said.

The 13% difference is up from just 2% last year, Halifax said.

The survey found about 40% of children thought they should be given more money - but boys were more likely than girls to complain and think their parents should give them a rise.

Claudia Hammond, psychologist and author of Mind Over Money, said the attitude reflected adult behaviour.

"Like with men and women, it might be that boys are asking for money more. It's interesting that in the survey, the boys think they deserve more money as well," she said.

"Also, what is going on with the parents here? It's unlikely you've got twins where there's a boy and a girl and the parents have decided to pay them different amounts.

"These are all averages and so it does mean that people are making very different decisions without maybe having kids of both genders and deciding perhaps that the boys need more - which is interesting.

"I think parents will be surprised and probably don't realise they are doing this."

Who is getting what?

London children receive the highest amount of pocket money with youngsters in East Anglia getting the least, according to Halifax.

• London, £8.21

• Scotland, £7.06

• South East, £6.83

• North West, £6.68

• North East, £6.51

• Wales, £6.44

• South West, £6.36

• Yorkshire and Humberside, £6.25

• West Midlands, £5.84

• East Midlands, £5.33

• East Anglia, £4.96

Children are also becoming savvy savers, the research suggests, with a rise in the number of children putting cash aside up to 79% from 70% in 2015.

Almost one in eight (12%) now save all of it, up from 10% last year.

But they might be taking their lead from parents, with nine in 10 saying they encourage their children to save some of their pocket money.

The annual study - which has been compiled by Halifax since 1987 - shows that parents, on average, start giving their children pocket money between the ages of six and seven.

Giles Martin, head of Halifax Savings, said: "It's reassuring to see that the average weekly amount has reached a nine-year high.

"It's likely it'll be a few more years until we reach the dizzy heights of £8.37 in 2005 though, when we saw the highest average pocket money since our records began."