Previous research suggested although feminists deserved most of the credit for advancing women's rights, young adults didn't identify with them.
College-aged women and men tended to stigmatise them as unattractive, sexually unappealing and likely to be lesbians.
Some women also disparaged feminism as a movement for victims or women who couldn't achieve success on their own merit.
But this study of about 250 students and 300 older adults with more life experience found no evidence for beliefs that feminism caused women to resent men, added stress to their relationships with men or that most men wouldn't want to date a feminist.
Psychologists Laurie Rudman and Julie Phelan found both women and men who identified as feminists reported greater relationship quality, stability and sexual satisfaction.
"Contrary to popular beliefs, feminism may improve the quality of (heterosexual) relationships, as opposed to undermining them," they said.
The Batt/Green family of North Caulfield is such a thoroughly feminist household that the two daughters have their mother's surname and the son has his father's.
Monash University feminist academic Karen Green, 56, said the study confirmed men and women who treat their lovers as their equals and allow them to pursue their own ambitions have better relationships.
"Young women today might say they don't believe in feminism but if you asked them if they thought they were inferior, they wouldn't agree," she said.
Her husband, former Tasmanian deputy premier Neil Batt, 70, said he was proud to have initiated Australia's first curriculum review to ensure it reflected feminist values.
"I was born in 1937, so by nature I'm a male chauvinist pig, but intellectually, I believe women are equal in all capacities and entitlements," he said while cooking dinner.
Eldest daughter Tamsin Green, 27, said she was baffled by the fact many young women today identified with Paris Hilton-style "raunch culture" and thought feminism was a women's-only bully system.
And Michael Batt, 20, said: "Once I expressed feminist views in an online forum and was accused of being a big, nasty, hairy dyke."
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