http://www.reuters.com/article/wtMostRead/idUSTRE5740RL20090805
Singaporean men are most attractive husbands
LONDON - Singaporean men make the most attractive husbands as they'll help with the housework while Australian men, renowned for their love of sport and beer, came last in a global study on roles in the home.
Economist Almudena Sevilla-Sanz from Oxford University set out to see if marriage and cohabiting rates in developed nations were linked to attitudes towards the roles of men and women and views on who is responsible for the housework and childcare.
Sevilla-Sanz, from the university's Centre for Time Use Research, found that women living in countries with the highest proportion of egalitarian men, who were happy to do their share of chores, were more likely to marry or live with a man.
"This study shows that in egalitarian countries there is less social stigma attached to men doing what was traditionally women's work," she said in a statement. "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."
The study was based on interviews with 13,500 men and women aged between 20 and 45 from 12 countries which were ranked according to an "egalitarian index" based on questions about gender, housework and children responsibilities.
Singapore topped the egalitarian index. At the bottom of the index were Japan, Germany and Austria, with Australia coming last as the least egalitarian.
But while women seemed to prefer a man who would put out the bins and do the washing up, men were not so keen on women seeking a partner who wanted to split the chores, preferring a woman they could rely on to do all the housework and childcare.
"While egalitarian men seem to be viewed as a better bet by women, egalitarian women are seen as a less safe bet by men," she said.
The study, titled "Household Division of Labor and Cross-Country Differences in Household Formation Rates," is due to be published in the Journal of Population Economics.
Singaporean men are most attractive husbands
LONDON - Singaporean men make the most attractive husbands as they'll help with the housework while Australian men, renowned for their love of sport and beer, came last in a global study on roles in the home.
Economist Almudena Sevilla-Sanz from Oxford University set out to see if marriage and cohabiting rates in developed nations were linked to attitudes towards the roles of men and women and views on who is responsible for the housework and childcare.
Sevilla-Sanz, from the university's Centre for Time Use Research, found that women living in countries with the highest proportion of egalitarian men, who were happy to do their share of chores, were more likely to marry or live with a man.
"This study shows that in egalitarian countries there is less social stigma attached to men doing what was traditionally women's work," she said in a statement. "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."
The study was based on interviews with 13,500 men and women aged between 20 and 45 from 12 countries which were ranked according to an "egalitarian index" based on questions about gender, housework and children responsibilities.
Singapore topped the egalitarian index. At the bottom of the index were Japan, Germany and Austria, with Australia coming last as the least egalitarian.
But while women seemed to prefer a man who would put out the bins and do the washing up, men were not so keen on women seeking a partner who wanted to split the chores, preferring a woman they could rely on to do all the housework and childcare.
"While egalitarian men seem to be viewed as a better bet by women, egalitarian women are seen as a less safe bet by men," she said.
The study, titled "Household Division of Labor and Cross-Country Differences in Household Formation Rates," is due to be published in the Journal of Population Economics.
