The Times, 8 March

Most married men want to know how to get more sex. Well, the answer may dampen their excitement. Recent research suggests that doing the housework is the best way to rekindle the marital flame. Dusting, vacuuming, taking the rubbish out and even doing the washing up can lead to increased ‘chore-play’.

US studies show that men’s contribution to housework has doubled since the 1960s from about 15 per cent to more than 30 per cent of the total. ‘Equal sharing of housework is associated with higher levels of marital satisfaction – and sometimes more sex too’, said Joshua Coleman, psychologist and senior Fellow at the Council on Contemporary Families, which commissioned the report. ‘Wives report greater feelings of sexual interest and affection for husbands who participate in housework.’

This news may not come as a surprise for many women. It’s difficult to feel erotic abandon when you’re exhausted from doing the washing and cleaning solo. A little help goes a long way. One group called the Cambridge Women’s Pornography Co-operative recently brought out a book titled Porn for Women, featuring pictures of muscled, apron-wearing men doing household chores such as washing the dishes. With no more wild boars to wrestle, or musk deep to hunt across the tundra, raising a sweat with the hoover really does impress the ladies.