What do you think of when you hear the word feminism? Emily Davison throwing herself under the King's horse? Germine Greer and her 1097 book 'The female Eunuch'? Serious-minded 1970s women fighting for equality in education and the workplace?

What about you? is matching your male friends drink for drink a strike for feminism? When you demand a pay rise or enjoy a guilt-free one-night stand or don't bother to get your legs waxed before you go swimming, are you fighting for the sisterhood?

In 2007, modern women might be seen to be enjoying greater equality than at any previous point in history. But with the pay gap between the genders still wide, a continuing scarcity of women in positions of real power and an ever-increasing pressure to conform to impossible ideas of beauty, is the role of the feminist really redundant? Is feminism a historical irrelevance, a dirty word? Or is it still fundamental to our lives. Here are Quotations of successful women in nowadays society about what feminism means:

1. The glamor model:
Abi Titmuss, 30, is a former nurse turned glamor model and Reality-TV celebrity,
now hoping to become an actress. She says:
"feminism is slightly frightening term to modern women. For me, it's about taking control of work, money, sex, relationships, when you are going to have a baby. So, by that definition, yes, I am a feminist - although I don't know what Germaine Greer would think of me! I imagine a lot of 'proper' feminists would look at the glamor industry and hate it. But when I was modeling, I was never exploited - quite the opposite. I paid for my own shoes and I own the copyright to all the photographs. It may have looked like I wasn't in control of the situation but I was - I get paid every time one of those pictures is used. Women today simply want quality, We're certainly not second-class citizens any more but there's still work to be done. Men still want to be in control but it's hard for them now because what women want is someone who will wear the trousers, but let us wear them, too. We expect total equality but sill like a guy to open the doors for us."

2. The female MP:
Sarah Teather, 32, is the Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East, London. When she
was elected in 2003, she was the youngest MP in Britain. She says:
"In terms of the beliefs, yes, I am a feminist. But in terms of hoe people perceive the label, it's become quite hard to use it. That's the problem. In a lot of people's eyes the term 'feminist'

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