My husband and I are the same way. And he has told me many times that he would be bored to tears if I was submissive and docile. One of the reasons why he fell in love with me was because he watched me stand my ground in a discussion with a group of men and he respected me for it.
Sometimes I don't know which is worse: liberal women who think conservative women must all be doormats, or conservative men who think all conservative women should be doormats.