According to a new international research, women are more attracted to a feminine-looking man's face than a rough-tough looking guy.

The online study, conducted by Aberdeen University Psychologist, Lisa DeBruine, and her husband, Ben Jones, revealed that women's liking for male faces differ according to the condition of health care in the country where they dwell.

Among the 4500 that were examined in 30 countries, there were some New Zealand women.

The research showed that in locations where disease rates are high and the child-mortality rate is soaring, women fancy masculine men. On the other hand, in states which are equipped with better health care, feminine-looking men were more in demand.

Dr. DeBruine said that as health care progressed, more masculine men fell out of favor.

''Women from NZ, on average, preferred the more masculine face 38% of the time and the more feminine face 62% of the time''.

She said that biological theories recommend that masculine characteristics in men signal their genetic health. In the past, women chose ''manly'' men because features such as a square jaw, low brow and thin lips were related to better genes which would produce stronger and healthier offspring.

According to Dr. DeBruine's group in Sweden, 68% women favored feminine-looking men owing to the best health care in sharp contrast to Brazil, where 55% women preferred masculine men due to bad health care.