Evidence:

Women enjoy benevolent sexism and men acting out the typical male protector/provider role. Even the most staunch feminist still likes it when a man holds open the door, pulls out her chair, picks up the check, and does all the other little gestures and mannerisms that show he is leading and guiding and taking ownership over the interaction. No matter how opposed she is to women's gender roles, a woman still enjoys it when her man fixes things around the house, demonstrates leadership around other men, shows competence in manly pursuits, and strides forward into danger to protect her.

Women despise it when men try to put them in the leadership role. The most frequent complaint and source of resentment I've seen among women is "man-children", ie, men who take the passive role in the relationship. The intensity of women's vitriol and disappointment in this sector shows that they place great importance on a man showing up, making decisions, actively taking ownership over things and consciously shaping their collective future - ie, the traits of a leader.

Women want to fuck men they look up to and admire. Basically, women say they want equality, but in reality go for guys who are a bit taller, stronger, smarter, more competent, more accomplished, more passionate, more driven, slightly older, higher status, etc... than they themselves are (note: he doesn't need to be ahead of her in every category, just enough of them for her to look up to him). Women seem to crave equal status, but not necessarily an equal in terms of capability.

Summary: I posit that modern woman is confused, or at least conflicted, about what she wants. Most claim to want equality and equity in an overt sense, but on the covert or unconscious level they still crave being led by a capable, confident, decisive male. The traits which women desire most in men seem to correspond to leadership, while the traits they despise most seem to correspond to its opposite (passivity/submission). The key here seems to be the level of overtness/covertness. Women hate when men proclaim themselves to be alpha or demand things just because he presumes himself the leader. Yet they love when men quietly take charge.

Gender roles are often criticized on the left, but note that leadership within the family unit fairly well corresponds to man's traditional role across cultures, and that even western women seem to enjoy when men perform this role, so long as it is not explicitly stated.