Gender gap over home purchase plans

An online survey of 2,012 people, including 776 non-homeowners, by Post Office Mortgages, found 36 per cent of young men were planning to buy a home in the near future compared with 32 per cent of women.

However, young women were more likely to make sacrifices to own a home. Nearly half said they were happy to buy one that needed redecorating, compared with less than a third of young men.

Also, 46 per cent of women said they would happily forego buying new furniture and appliances if it allowed them to buy their first home; only 33 per cent of men felt this way.

Enthusiasm for the property market among 18 to 34-year-olds has increased; of those surveyed, 34 per cent were committed to buying a property soon. Last year the figure was about 20 per cent.