1 in 4 women say their man has waited too long to pop the question

• 1 in 3 unmarried Scottish women planning on making a leap year proposal

• 55 per cent of women will give their fiance a ‘men-gagement’ ring when they propose

• More than half of men aged 16-24 would wear a ‘men-gagement’ ring

• Ideal engagement should last no longer than two years

Single women in the north-east and Northern Ireland are the least Scotland likely to propose to men on February 29, when women traditionally turn tables and propose to men.

Females in Scotland and the south-west of England are the most likely to propose to their men on leap day, a survey found.

The most common reason for female leap year proposals is that women feel they’ve had to wait too long for their men to propose, according to the data from money.co.uk, one of the UK’s leading comparison websites for financial services.

However, 30 per cent of women say they also like the Irish tradition of women proposing on February 29.

Data for December 2019 from online community site Pinterest shows a 113 per cent increase in searches for 'how to propose to a boy' and a 217 per cent increase in searches for 'girl proposing boy' when compared with the previous year.

Women in London and the East Midlands are the most frustrated at having to wait for their men to propose – with almost four in 10 saying they’ve waited too long.

The rise in women buying engagement rings for their men, and men choosing to wear them, has led to many in the industry now calling the jewellery gifts ‘men-gagement’ rings.

In Yorkshire 41 per cent of men would wear an engagement ring.

Jewellery design expert Anne Rowson, said: “We have seen a rapid rise in the number of women buying engagement rings for their male partner in the last year or two.

“These rings for men are now very much a trend and we predict that this will continue to rise over the coming years. Many jewellers are even preparing their own range of men-gagement rings.”

Salman Haqqi, money.co.uk personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said: ”A significant number of women are planning to take the plunge this leap year and propose to their partner. According to our study as many as a third of unmarried women in relationships will propose on February 29.

“Our statistics show that 55 per cent of those women proposing to their lover, say they will do so with a ring.

“It definitely seems that men-gagement rings are now gaining popularity and that, most importantly, the majority of men have indicated they’d be happy to wear one.”

Generation Z and millennial males are the most likely to be happily sporting a ring on February 29.

More than half of 18 to 24 year old men say they’d wear an engagement ring, and 45 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds would do the same. Older men are less likely to agree - just 27 per cent of men aged 55 and over saying they’d wear a ring to celebrate their engagement.

Men living in London and the East Midlands are the most likely to wear a ring (51 and 47 per cent), the survey reveals, with those living in Scotland and Wales the least likely to don the jewellery, at 25 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

And what men do for a living can also have an impact on the likelihood of them wearing an engagement ring. Workers in the sports and leisure industry, advertising or the media are the most likely to be seen sporting a ring when they get engaged, according to the poll. Taxi drivers, lorry drivers and property developers are the least likely.

Salman Haqqi added: “Our survey shows that more than half of the nation believes the ideal engagement period should be between one and two years in length.

“It also shows that those living in Wales or the East Midlands are likely to be engaged the longest, while people living in London or the South-west spend the shortest period engaged, usually a year at most.”

With the average cost of an engagement ring in the UK now reaching around £6,000, the period ahead of February 29 will see a spike in spending.