Today modern feminism is still tackling gender equality, civil rights and constitutional rights and of course the basic right of women to be equal to men. The modern feminist is fighting at different levels to gain respect in a male dominated muscular society including physical equal ness. Funny as it may sound, the six pack abs on a man and the same on the women looks more of a bad effort to gain ground. So when the revival of modern feminism took place nearly 45 years ago (thanks to Betty Friedan) in 1963 today, it rides another wave of aggression to give women their rightful place in society. After having burned numerous bras, girdles, traded household ladles with joysticks, joining the air force, and what not- the situation is still unfortunate for many women across the world. Battered wives, divorces, other marital issues, gender preferences and equal status at work are still burning topics. The laws are yet to determine what reservations women should have. Women writers, journalists and anchors may be traveling as war correspondents but they still need the safety net from strange men. Rape is still an on going issue. Paternity suits are still being filed in courts. Judging the number of celebrities filing cases to get justice, modern feminism is touching only the tip of the iceberg. Even today women activists are fighting against sexual assault, domestic rape and violence. The only addition to this is the equal law for lesbians and protecting their sexuality. But how many activists are able to fight these issues successfully? Very few get good results, that too depending on the freedom of expression their get in their societies.


Modern feminism is expecting independence in relationships and workplaces. The freedom of choice is also important. In USA there has been a growth of many cultures as many settlers have come and many others keep migrating to the country with their own set of values and rules. As immigrants they have to follow the law of the land. For example an Arabic woman living in United States can think of suing or divorcing her husband if he is in the wrong. She dare not think of doing that back home. An estranged Asian woman can take help of a modern feminist organization to settle scores with the government to enter the country or raise her voice. Today the law, civil rights and the constitution provide equal rights to women. In a way the modern feminist has been of help to those women who had no hope. The future is safe, as the woman knows she can fight back and she is not alone.


The white Christian woman is grappling against her conscience to take contraception, or abort. The Vatican is still opposing the biological freedom that women seek today. While early feminists focused on giving basic rights to Afro-Asians, today the focus is on lifestyle and financial freedom. That is why women in political circles are now a reality. How many women are likely to support another woman in need? The elections will tell the true story. Even though the average American today supports the idea of a woman president, the leed has already taken by India in electing one. Having an American woman as president would mean a paradigm shift of policies. Will this mean modern feminism is doing its job? Or will it give rise to the third wave or does the buck stops here?