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Feminism is difficult to define, and therefore I think it is difficult to dismiss. Whilst some feminist ideas have become outdated, others have never been more relevant.

In the past, feminism has been about advancing women's rights in law and in the workplace. In many ways, this aim has now been achieved as women have the right to maternity leave, equal pay, the vote and so on. Arguably, it is now men who are treated unfairly in the public domain. For instance, unlike women, men do not have extensive paid leave when their children are born, and the woman is often favoured in custody battles, both on the grounds that women have a greater connection with her baby than the father. In this sense, the laws that were intended to protect women's rights have resulted in men's rights being ignored. Many cite this as the reason for why feminism is outdated.

A further problematic feminist idea is that women have the ability to possess male' qualities such as strength, ambition and rationality, hence their equal status with men. While obviously this is positive in the sense that it is questioning stereotypes of women as passive, dependant, emotional and maternal, it also implies that there is something wrong with being emotional, dependant and so on. Women's predicament now is that if they dress or act femininely they are judged as being passive. It is as though women have to act tough all of the time to prove themselves worthy of equal rights. It is clear then that traditional feminist ideas are harmful to men and women.

However, more recent feminist thought, in my view, offers opportunities to tackle the problem of inequality more effectively. So-called third wave' feminists are concerned with mocking stereotypes of women by drawing attention to their artificiality. Rather than furthering the feminist cause through law, they propose furthering it through culture, such as using music and personal style in a playful manner. To my mind, this is much more relevant as today women's predicament is more about people's perception of them than their treatment in the workplace. Furthermore, because it is a more personal strategy, this mode of feminism does not have an extensive negative impact on men's rights. Also, unlike traditional feminists who stress women's similarities to men, third wave feminists celebrate women's femininity. They say: women can be rational and maternal, sexual and serious.

Feminism is certainly moving with the times, and offering new ways to deal with inequality. And while even the slightest inequality exists, I believe feminism still has a role in society.

Learn more about this author, Tara Wittin.
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