What could be more "depressing that an article about an American study that found positive things about feminism can only find a mainstream media home in a British newspaper"? That the article in the British magazine was written by a journalist in New York. Still, this sort of twist only adds up the tally in favour of The Guardian, a really excellent newspaper.

Suzanne, I very much enjoyed reading something positive about women and men in relationships that is based on sound intellectual exchange and good sex. What more could a gal look for? You are right in saying that the media does not want to portray such liaisons as being positive. Which makes me wonder, how much is this because most relationships are not based on these things, or most journalists' relationships are not based on these things?

lia from luebeck, germany

Author of the yum yum cafe and coauthor of the Red Tent Blog.

I'm not surprised by the findings either. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that couples who are able to communicate what they want have more fulfilling sex lives, hey you're getting what you want and pleasuring your partner in they way that he/she wants, and it's also not surprising that feminists would feel comfortable talking about what they want sexually. I was already annoyed when I was reading your post that this study has gotten no media attention in the US, but then when I saw the above comment by Lia, I became angry. You are right that is is easier to paint feminists as being bad . And what's up with the finding that feminist male partners are healthier for women's relationships? Is that really a surprise?
Alex Elliot, Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting

...to this story.

"So what is the result of this sexual revolution, which seems to have convinced millions of women that "good enough" in the bedroom is no longer, well, good enough?

In my work as a life coach, agony aunt and psychologist, I regularly encounter women in their late 20s, 30s and 40s - the inheritors of the feminist revolution - with bitter regrets over relationships that have failed on one pivotal issue: the issue of sexual compromise.

Sounds like "conventional wisdom" cannot be generalized. Some women are better in bed than others, regardless of ideology.

Those who don't describe themselves as feminists?

...women and men who identify with feminist values have better relationships in general, including sexual relationships, because they are more comfortable talking about what they want and need as opposed to making assumptions...

Indeed, one should never assume. It's a golden rule. Universal. But the report implies that it's a feminist issue, when it's not. The key to any successful relationship, personal or business, is good communication. And surely no one is suggesting that "feminists" are able to communicate better than "happy housewives," and everyone in between. That would be a sweeping generalization. Just like dismissing the Heritage Foundation's work as "crazy conspiracy theories," while everything in the Guardian and the New York Times must be speaking truth. (to power, yes I know)

But glad you made the reference, as I enjoyed reading it. Seems pretty straightforward and informative:

[T]he Heritage Foundation just released a paper that shows how far some feminists have fallen from the movement's noble beginnings as an advocate for fairness in the home and the workplace -- which most of us would see as worthwhile goals -- to claiming that the only path to happiness for women is to resist marriage and eschew the traditional family model.

The shift began in the late 1960s. Typical of the new breed of feminist was Marlene Dixon, a sociology professor at the University of Chicago, who declared in 1969: "The institution of marriage is the chief vehicle for the perpetuation of the oppression of women; it is through the role of wife that the subjugation of women is maintained. In a very real way, the role of wife has been the genesis of women's rebellion throughout history."

Better not tell my husband, lest he wonder why I'm running the house...
Or is that just me?

As I suggested in earlier remarks, I think it's time to take our bra burning on the road, and apply pressure to countries where women really need our help, where they can't even show their faces or walk on the streets alone, where they are truly second-class citizens or worse.