Women in Britain are less optimistic than men about their financial situation and prospects, according to the latest Greene King Leisure Spend Tracker survey.

The new edition of the monthly study, commissioned by Bury St Edmunds pubs and brewing group Greene King, a member of the EADT/EDP Top100 listing of the 100 largest companies in Suffolk and Norfolk,found 6% more women than men saying that they are still worse off than in 2010 – 42% compared with 36%.

And more women expect their financial situation to be worse than improve over the coming year, whereas men were marginally more positive about their household’s financial outlook.

Fiona Gunn, Greene King’s marketing director said the figures appeared to show that, while many people believe that the worst is behind us and that the UK is heading for a brighter future, British women are still not convinced.

“Women have been victims of the recession, losing jobs more frequently and still reportedly earning, on average, less per hour than men,” she said.

“Women also tend to err on the side of caution when opening their wallets so it is unsurprising that the latest Leisure Spend Tracker found that women are less optimistic about their prospect for 2015 and that they still feel worse off than five years ago.”

In terms of age, young adults, aged from 18 to 24, remain the most optimistic about the coming year, with 87% expecting their household’s financial situation to remain unchanged or improve.

Least positive in their view of the last five years are the over-55s, with only 23% of the age group feeling better off now than they were in 2010

The survey found that the average British household spent £196 on leisure during February, down 4% on the same time last year but 7% higher compared with January.

The year-on-year fall was less pronounced in London and the South East, where total leisure spend was £3 lower, than in the rest of Britain where the figure was down by £8 compared with February 2014.

Eating Out and Drinking Out saw increases of 7% and 2% respectively in February compared with a year earlier, although spending in the Other Leisure category decreased by 15%

Spending on Drinking Out was up by 13% compared to January, which is thought to reflect many people ending a period of abstinence following Christmas and New year celebrations.

Fiona Gunn added: “February’s spending patterns mirror January, as Eating Out saw considerable growth, Drinking Out held its ground and Other Leisure declined significantly compared to the same month last year.

“The gap in leisure spend between London and the South East and Rest of Britain has reduced in recent months, so it is interesting to see a slight reverse in that trend in February.

“Maybe we can put that down to London and the South East households being more romantic, as during Valentine’s week, we saw a spike in Eating Out spend in this region compared to the Rest of Britain.”