Women are more attracted to men accompanied by children.
Men with children are considered more attractive by females
As part of a new study, 360 heterosexual females were shown photos of male models either alone or interacting with a child and rated those with the youngsters 21.5 per cent more desirable.
The experts argue that this can be explained by "parental investment theory", which suggests that women are more attracted to men who are prepared to nurture a child as the burden of starting a family is higher for females.
Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands said: "This study confirms that perceived caring abilities in men can influence attractiveness evaluations.
"Besides attraction to physical features, caring motivation is an important facet when evaluating potential partners."