I did read the whole article, but did not get the impression that it was meant to be a joke at his expense. That's just not supported by the text. The most he's willing to say is that "if it is done in the right way, you may be able to get something out of it [the female mind]." Hardly a U-turn.

Also, the quote you referenced does absolutely nothing to show that RF regarded women as his mental equals. It just shows that he sometimes explained stuff to them -- not surprising, given that he presumably had some female students/colleagues.

In any case, whatever the merits of Feynman's position at the time, I'm bemused that anyone could find his views on this topic quoteworthy.