They may be pale and drink too much beer, but studies show British men make better domestic partners than their Spanish, Japanese and Australian counterparts.

Move to the UK for a dose of domestic bliss

Research shows that both men and women are more likely to move in with or marry their partner if he or she helps out with household chores – and UK men seem to have few qualms about chipping in around the house.

Researchers took a sample of 13,500 men and women aged 20 to 45 from 12 countries to compare, by nationality, how egalitarian partners are with housework.

The study showed that those from ‘more egalitarian’ countries are 20 to 50 percent more likely to be living with their partners.

Scandinavia topped the list for domestic equality, while the UK and US came in second and third. Australians scored last for pitching in with domestic duties.

British women came up as 8.5 percent more likely to live with their partner on average than Australian women.

The countries in the study ranked in this order for ‘relationship equality’: Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, United States, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Austria and Australia.

The lure of a domestically-trained partner makes as excellent a reason as any for restless Aussies and Europeans to move to the US or UK. 

The study was conducted by the Centre for Time Use Research at the University of Oxford and was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.