photo from Porn for Women

It’s long been a given in the sex advice biz that dudes who break out the vacuum cleaner every once in a while are more likely to get laid. We typically fight such Men-are-from-Mars-Women-are-from-Venus stereotypes, but we’ve heard too much anecdotal evidence to ignore this one. It’s not that watching a man iron is an actual turn-on — though there are exceptions, of course — but more that many women find it hard to get in the mood for sex if they’re annoyed that their partner isn’t pulling his weight in the domestic chores department. For these women, accessing the libido is a matter of clearing the deck of all potential distractions — clutter in the room, to-do lists, a buzzing Blackberry, body image issues, dirty dishes, petty spousal frustrations, etc.

But it turns out that it’s not just guys who should mop a little more often: A new study has found that, for men and women alike, the more housework you do, the more likely you are to have sex with your partner. In other words, the couple who shares chores together is more likely to swap spit (and more), too. Perhaps this is because sharing chores indicates mutual respect and a commitment to the “team,” or perhaps it’s a feng-shui thing where a clean and tidy house is more conducive to boot-knocking. Whatever it is, it’s good news — almost good enough to make us forget about the other statistic in the study: that the women spent an average of 41.8 hours on household chores each week, while the men spent an average of 23.4 hours. And this despite the fact that “chores” in this study included yard work, paying bills, and maintaining cars. Maybe once these numbers balance out a bit more, we’ll finally achieve coital harmony. Hey, two advice ladies can dream.

MORE FROM EM & LO:

• Living Together 7 Years = Common Law Married?
• When Your Booty Call Wants to Spoon
• Are Men Hardwired to Cheat?

photo by Qole_Pejorian

In news that will probably be surprising only to the male readers of this site, a recent study found that expensive cars don’t really impress the ladies. Researchers in Australia measured changes in the brain responses of women toward a range of men in different cars. Turns out a man having a mid-life crisis in a Porsche is still a man having a mid-life crisis. And a hottie surfer is a turn-on even if he has to take the bus. Apparently one of the “biggest surprises” of the study was that the classic MG Roadster car turned women’s heads when it was empty, but failed to impress if a dude was driving it. Well, that’s only surprising if it has never occurred to you that women are more likely to fantasize about driving a classic sports car than they are about dating a man who owns one. And an insecure man in the throes of a mid-life crisis kind of spoils that fantasy. What’s next — scientists demonstrating that crotch-rocket motorbikes don’t actually increase the size of your penis?

MORE FROM EM & LO

• 10 Things Your Father Inadvertently Taught You About Sex

Jennifer Baichwal’s MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES [www.mongrelmedia.com] examines the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky [www.edwardburtynsky.com] in China. Of his large scale work, Burtynsky has remarked, “These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear.” This weekend people can either see his work on the screen or on the wall in a special local exhibition of his work at the Julie Nester Gallery [www.julienestergallery.com].

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