U.S. men among most helpful around house

Men, start putting some elbow grease into your housework if you're looking to rev up your relationship.

American men fared pretty well, ranking fourth in the world — behind their peers in Norway, Sweden and the U.K. — in being helpful, and therefore attractive mates or husbands, says a study by Oxford University researcher Almudena Sevilla-Sanz.

Women living in countries where men took more responsibility for housework and child care were more likely to marry or live with a man, the study showed.

Women living in countries with less helpful men were 20 to 50 percent less likely to be living with a man than women in the egalitarian countries.

The worst husbands are in Australia, where men are known for loving beer and sports.

Of course, turnabout is never fair play. Men were more interested in partnering with women who want to take on all the housework and child care, the study shows.