NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ —A pair of Rutgers University researchers has found that being in a relationship with a feminist means better sex and more fulfilling relationships.Julie Phelan and Laurie Rudman interviewed more than 600 people as part of the study of the feminist stereotype. They looked at men’s and women’s separate perceptions of their own feminism and its link to relationship health, measured by a combination of overall relationship quality, agreement about gender equality, relationship stability, and sexual satisfaction.

The researchers found that overall, having a feminist partner was linked to healthier heterosexual relationships for women. Men with feminist partners also reported both more stable relationships and greater sexual satisfaction. Phelan and Rudman also tested the validity of the stereotypical belief that feminist women should be more likely to report themselves as being single, lesbian, or sexually unappealing, compared with non-feminist women.

It turned out that feminist women were more likely to be in a heterosexual romantic relationship than women who did not consider themselves to be feminists and as a rule, the feminist women were happier.