It may come as a shock to husbands fond of accusing their wives of frittering the family finances on shoes and handbags, but a study has found that women are in fact better at budgeting than men.

Women keep track of their spending and are less likely to build up debts through loans and credit cards, according to new research.

Men are more prone to ignoring mounting debts and forgetting to pay bills, whereas women chip away at credit card bills with regular repayments, the study found.