<P> Low pay was also a major cause of poverty, with a report by the TUC in 1968 finding that about 5 million females and about 2.5 million males earned less than £ 15 a week . According to one study, around 20% to 23% of employees in the late 1960s had low hourly wages . In 1974, a quarter of adult employees in Britain earned less than £ 27 a week or less before tax, only slightly above the officially defined poverty line for an average family . Regional differences in pay also remained pronounced during the post-war period . Slum housing also remained a problem, with 12% of British households living in houses or flats considered to be unfit for human habitation in 1972 . In 1975, government statistics estimated that 1,800,000 children lived in poverty . </P> <P> Nevertheless, the number of people estimated to be living in poor housing conditions was lower at the start of the 1970s than at the start of the 1960s . In 1961, 4,700,000 households lived in unfit or substandard homes, compared with 2,846,000 in 1971 . </P> <P> During the late 1960s and 1970s, progress was made in reducing the level of post-war poverty and inequality, with 3 million families in Britain in poverty in 1977, compared with 5 million in 1961 . According to the 1971 Supplementary Benefits scale, the percentage of individuals living in poverty fell from 9.4% in 1963 to 2.3% in 1973 . Low pay continued to remain a major problem by the end of the 1970s, however, particularly amongst manual workers . </P> <P> Based on various measurements, however, the number of Britons living in poverty rose significantly from 1979 to 1985 . The number of Britons living in poverty (when defined as living below the Supplementary Benefit level) rose from 2,090,000 to 2,420,000 during that period, while the number of people living in poverty when defined as living on or below the Supplementary Benefit level rose from 6,070,000 to 9,380,000 . Using a poverty measurement of living at 140% of the Supplementary Benefit level or below, the rise was from 11,570,000 to 15,420,000 . </P>

What is the definition of poverty in the uk