In news that may come as something as a surprise to many of our female readers, new research has shown that UK men are more houseproud than women.

According to Anglian Home Improvements, 74 per cent of men insist they keep a tidy house, compared to 72 per cent of women.

And that’s not all: 15 percent of men describe themselves as “competitive” when it comes to having a tidy house compared to nine per cent of women.

Yet strangely all this pride in the home environment isn’t making men any more inclined to partake of the grunt work required to achieve these dazzling results, with women still doing the vast majority of housework – seven hours per week, compared to just five hours from men.

Melanie McDonald, head of PR and internal communications for Anglian Home Improvements, which commissioned the study of 1,000 UK adults, said: “This research confirms we are seeing the rise of the domestic god. UK men have mounted a serious challenge to age-old gender stereotypes and have now overtaken women when it comes to the pride they take in making their house a home.“

Key things men are more likely to do than women include polishing the door knocker and washing the wheelie bin, while ladies are more likely to light a scented candle, put out fresh towels or hide ‘stuff’ in the garage or shed.

Melanie continued: “The results of this survey have proven to be truly enlightening – an insight into the psyche of the UK male and how he feels about his home. It has also confirmed that we are indeed a houseproud nation, with almost three quarters of UK adults taking pride and pleasure in their homes.”