At times, it can appear so: while most western women in the ’70s and ’80s proudly declared themselves to be feminists, the term has become unfashionable in recent years, with many young women associating it with a humourless, man-bashing extreme.  Thanks to the relative independence and security handed to them by previous generations, many of today’s women are complacent at best. But all it takes is a look outside our own privileged lives to be reminded that we are all feminists at heart, even those who’ve never felt comfortable using the word.

Look beneath the surface and it’s easy to see that the women’s movement still has much work to do. Feminist stand-up comedian Kate Smurthwaite points to some unsettling statistics: “We live in a world where recent UN statistics show up to 70% of the world’s women have been forced to have unprotected sex yet advertisers consider the best way to sell snacks is with television spots describing them as ‘man crisps’.  We need to understand that feminism is not an optional extra, a joking matter or a minority issue but of vital importance to the future of our planet and our species.”

Add to this the ongoing issues of equal pay, under-representation in government and industry and the pressure on women to look young and beautiful at all times, and feminism is as important an issue as it ever was. Another particularly graphic example is Female Genital Mutilation, which is practised on thousands of girls each year.

Practices of this sort are based on a more subtle but deep-seated inequality between the sexes, which sees women as property that can either be protected or damaged. This attitude is the root cause of much mistreatment of women in all cultures  – ranging from violence to casual sexism – all over the world.

Once we’re reminded of these fundamental inequalities, it’s all too easy to see them reflected in our own culture and even in our own lives.  Thankfully, there is still a thriving feminist community to remind us of these sometimes uncomfortable facts, as the huge success of Saturday’s ‘Million Women Rise’ march in London illustrates. Let’s ensure that we build on the enthusiasm sparked by the anniversary of the women’s movement and ensure a fair and dignified lifestyle for women in all cultures.

Image 1: Valerie Budayr
Image 2: Ctrouper