You make some very good points. I'm not as familiar with Tolkien's later writings; I found The Silmarillion as unreadable as I've found the Bible and never got very far. I've pretty much ignored the stuff that was published posthumously, having read a few early reviews that disinclined me to look further. (I will freely admit that I may have been too hasty.)

I agree that the essay author's choice of Heinlein was puzzling within the context of traditional gender roles. I've found Heinlein's depictions of women to be a very mixed bag, often sexist in ways that hurt my mind.