Boys paid more than girls for household chores and good behaviour, survey finds

The gender pay gap extends to children's household chores - with boys being rewarded with more cash than girls as well as getting around double the amount girls receive for good behaviour - a survey suggests.

Boys typically receive £6.99 for carrying out household chores, while girls can expect to get £4.67, a survey from Santander found.

Meanwhile, boys receive £8.28 on average for staying out of trouble at school, while girls are rewarded with the more modest sum of £4.18 typically for good behaviour.

More than three-quarters (77%) of parents provide their children with a basic amount of pocket money - forking out £18.36 on average.

Many parents will also offer their children extra incentives on top.

Nearly a third (32%) of parents say they pay their children to complete household chores while 18% reward good behaviour at school, the survey found.

Youngsters who step out of line or fail to carry out their duties can also expect to be "fined" by their parents.

Nearly a fifth (18%) of parents take money away for failing to complete household chores and 15% will dock money from piggy banks for bad behaviour at school.

When children were asked what motivated them to complete household chores, money was found to be by far the biggest incentive - above chocolate and crisps, being praised or being able to stay up longer.

The research, which highlighted Santander's 123 mini current account for children and young people, involved a survey of over 500 people including parents as well as children aged five to 15 years old.