Housework 'makes British men more attractive'

摘要：新的调查显示，英国男人因为更愿意干家务而成为世界上最好的丈夫之一。

British men make some of the best husbands in the world because they are more willing to do housework, new research suggests.

Experts claim that women are more attracted to men if they believe they will help out with household chores and make an equal contribution towards childcare.

The study, which looked at relationships in 13 countries, ranked British men as the third most likely to win women's hearts through their apparent commitment to domestic life.

Swedes and Norwegians topped the table while Australian men – stereotyped for their love of beer, sport, and the great outdoors – came in last, rated as the least attractive in terms of pulling their weight around the house.

The Oxford University study examined marriage and cohabitation rates across the developed world and compared them to attitudes towards the roles of men and women at home.

Researchers questioned 13,500 men and women aged between 20 and 45 from each country about gender, housework and childcare responsibilities.

Based on their responses, each country was given a rating on an "egalitarian index", which was then compared against the number of couples living together.

The study found there was a correlation between the ratings on the index and proportion of citizens who were married or shared their home with a partner.

Women in less egalitarian countries were found to be between 20 and 50 per cent less likely to settle down with a man.

Dr Almudena Seville-Sanz, of the university's Centre for Time Use Research, said: "This study shows that in egalitarian countries there is less social stigma attached to men doing what was traditionally women's work.

"This leads to men in egalitarian societies taking on more of a domestic role so the likelihood of forming a harmonious household becomes greater, resulting in a higher proportion of couples setting up households in these countries."

However, while the study suggested that women favour men who are willing to treat them as equals, it also found that men themselves placed less value on the quality in the opposite sex.

The full list of countries' rankings on the egalitarian index is as follows:

1. Sweden

2. Norway

3. Great Britain

4. United States

5. Northern Ireland

6. Netherlands

7. Republic of Ireland

8. Spain

9. New Zealand

10.Japan

11. Germany

12. Austria

13. Australia

新的调查显示，英国男人因为更愿意干家务而成为世界上最好的丈夫之一。

专家称，如果女人认为男人会帮忙干家务，并一起照顾孩子，那么她们会更容易被吸引。

这项研究调查了13个国家的伴侣关系，结果英国男人在赢得女人芳心的排行榜上名列第三，因为他们更愿意在家庭生活中承担起责任。

瑞典和挪威在这一排行上荣居前两位，而澳大利亚男人--由于他们钟爱啤酒、运动和户外活动--排在了最后，被评为最不具吸引力的男人，因为他们在家务上不够尽力。

牛津大学的研究考察了发达国家人口的结婚率和同居率，并把这些数据同男人和女人看待家庭角色的态度做了比较。

每个国家有13500人参与调查，年龄在20到45岁之间。研究人员就性别、家务和照顾孩子的责任等方面展开提问。

根据他们的回答，每个国家都得出了一个"平等主义指数",并把这一指数和在一起生活的男女人数相比较。

研究发现指数高低与结婚或同居的人数比例是相关的。

研究还发现，在"平等主义"势力比较弱的国家，20%到50%的女人比较不愿意与男人组建家庭。

牛津大学时间调查研究中心的阿慕德娜？瑟维尔-桑茨博士说："这次研究显示，在平等主义盛行的国家，男人分担传统上由女人来做的工作比较不会被人看不起。"

"在平等主义盛行的社会，男人在家庭中参与得越多，共建一个和谐家庭的可能性就越大，其结果就是在这些国家中共同组建家庭的夫妇的比例也就越高。"

虽然这一研究显示女人更喜欢那些平等对待她们的男人，但是研究也发现男人对女人的地位并不是很重视。

各个国家在平等主义指数上的排名名单如下：

1.瑞典

2.挪威

3.英国

4.美国

5.北爱尔兰

6.荷兰

7.爱尔兰共和国

8.西班牙

9.新西兰

10.日本

11.德国

12.奥地利

13.澳大利亚