diff --git a/enum.h b/enum.h
index 745b63e..02e7345 100644
--- a/enum.h
+++ b/enum.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include <cstddef>
 #include <cstring>
+#include <iosfwd>
 #include <stdexcept>
 
 
@@ -1038,4 +1039,55 @@ BETTER_ENUMS__CONSTEXPR inline bool operator !=(const Enum &a, const Enum &b)  \
 
 
 
+namespace better_enums {
+
+// This template is used both as a sort of enable_if for SFINAE, and to delay
+// the compiler from type-checking certain expressions. enum.h does not include
+// <iostream> or <string>, because those headers parse very slowly. Therefore,
+// it is necessary to prevent the compiler from trying to do anything with types
+// from those headers unless the operators <<, >> are actually used, by which
+// point the user is expected to have included <iostream> and/or <string>. The
+// alternative is to simply move the operator definitions into a separate add-on
+// header file.
+//
+// It should be possible to use std::enable_if, however <type_traits> is not
+// available in C++98.
+template <typename T, typename Enum>
+struct hide { typedef T type; };
+
+}
+
+template <typename Enum>
+inline typename better_enums::hide<std::ostream,
+                                   typename Enum::_enumerated>::type&
+operator <<(std::ostream& stream, const Enum& value)
+{
+    return stream << value._to_string();
+}
+
+template <typename Enum>
+inline typename better_enums::hide<std::istream,
+                                   typename Enum::_enumerated>::type&
+operator >>(typename better_enums::hide<std::istream, Enum>::type& stream,
+            Enum& value)
+{
+    typedef typename better_enums::hide<std::ios_base, Enum>::type  ios_base;
+    typedef typename better_enums::hide<std::string,   Enum>::type  string;
+
+    string      buffer;
+
+    stream >> buffer;
+    better_enums::optional<Enum>  converted =
+        Enum::_from_string_nothrow(buffer.c_str());
+
+    if (converted)
+        value = *converted;
+    else
+        stream.setstate(ios_base::failbit);
+
+    return stream;
+}
+
+
+
 #endif // #ifndef BETTER_ENUMS__ENUM_H
diff --git a/test/cxxtest/stream.h b/test/cxxtest/stream.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..18b2df8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/cxxtest/stream.h
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#include <cxxtest/TestSuite.h>
+#include <iostream>
+#include <enum.h>
+
+
+
+ENUM(Compiler, int, GCC, Clang, MSVC)
+
+
+
+class StreamOperatorTests : public CxxTest::TestSuite {
+  public:
+    void test_output()
+    {
+        std::stringstream   stream;
+
+        stream << +Compiler::GCC;
+        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(strcmp(stream.str().c_str(), "GCC"), 0);
+    }
+
+    void test_input()
+    {
+        std::stringstream   stream("Clang");
+        Compiler            compiler = Compiler::GCC;
+
+        stream >> compiler;
+        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS(compiler, +Compiler::Clang);
+    }
+};