Monday 4 May 2009

Monday Funday: with more relationship fun for feminists

A little bit old (October 2007) and still good:
Feminism boosts sexual satisfaction for both men and women, a new study suggests.

Busting stereotypes that peg feminists as men-haters, a new study shows that having a feminist partner is linked with healthier, more romantic heterosexual relationships.

The study, published online this week in the journal Sex Roles, relied on surveys of both college students and older adults, finding that women with egalitarian attitudes do find mates and men do find them attractive. In fact, results reveal they are having a good time, maybe a better time than the non-feminists.

Both men and women are prone to holding negative views of feminists, the authors say. Along with the sexually unattractive stereotype, some women also view feminism as a movement for victims, or for women who aren't competent enough to achieve success on their own merit, according to the Rutgers University researchers.

...Among the findings:

* College-age women who reported having feminist male partners also reported higher quality relationships that were more stable than couples involving non-feminist male partners.
* College guys who were themselves feminists and had feminist partners reported more equality in their relationships.
* Older women who perceived their male partners as feminists reported greater relationship health and sexual satisfaction.
* Older men with feminist partners said they had more stable relationships and greater sexual satisfaction.

Overall, feminism and romance do go hand in hand, the scientists say.
Click through for the whole article, I snipped a few bits.

Hurrah!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

More uncritical quotation of media that claims that men can be feminists (as opposed to pro-feminists or feminist allies)

I realise this is a controversial issue but I wish you would at least acknowledge the other side. Repeatedly referring to male feminists as if the issue was non-controversial feels like you're trying to sweep the views of those of us who don't feel it's appropriate for a man to call himself a feminist under the table.

Giovanni Tiso said...

I'm highly sceptic on the feminist male thing myself, but mostly (although not entirely) the findings are about women's own characterisation of having feminist partners, so that ought to stand regardless.

Anna said...

Hi Anon - not wanting to speak on Julie's behalf, but the male feminist issue may not appear here because it was debated quite recently: http://thehandmirror.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunday-stumper.html