Would you believe mopping the floor is the secret ingredient to Happily Ever After?

“Sharing household chores” (62 percent) ranked third in importance, just behind “faithfulness” (93 percent) and a “happy sexual relationship” (70 percent) in a survey by Pew Research Center.

Hmm. Trying to set a romantic mood? Wash her car.

Sharing domestic drudgery has moved up in marital importance compared to 17 years ago when only 47 percent thought it a priority. Today the majority of American adults surveyed - women and men, young and old, married and single - listed chore-sharing as “very important” or “rather important.” Only 7 percent ranked shared housework as “not very important.” Expect these lazy, selfish slobs to figure in a future divorce study.

Nine “very important” factors created a successful marriage, according to those surveyed. Added to faithfulness, intimacy and shared housework, a couple needed adequate income (53 percent); good housing (51 percent); shared religious beliefs (49 percent); shared tastes and interests (46 percent); children (41 percent); and agreement on politics (12 percent).

Maybe the gorgeous gals vying against each other in “Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire” should complete a questionnaire. This list is not a bad starting point for pre-nuptial counseling.

Getting serious about somebody? Plumb the true depth of their commitment: “So how often do you want to trade off cleaning the toilet?”

“Do you think taking the garbage out is an equal opportunity chore?” “Will you grocery shop on Saturdays if I do it on Wednesdays?”

Personally, I blew it on divvying up the household chores. David does everything “outside” and I do almost everything “inside.” Guess what? The oven and faucet operate more often than his power drill.

Today more men are pushing brooms. According to “family time diaries” analyzed by the University of Maryland, men averaged 9.6 hours of household work in 2003, compared to 4.4 hours in 1965.

In comparison, women clocked 18.1 hours in 2003, down from 31.9 hours in 1965. It’s progress yet far from gender equality on the drudgery front.

But evolution happens gradually and I do see it as Darwinian. If smart and hardworking men and women want to stay married, then something’s got to give.

Honey, you wash and I’ll dry.

Suzette Martinez Standring, Milton