For a lot of women gender is an important part of who they are.  For so long women have been pushed down and made to feel inferior. Although there has been progress in the last fifty years, a lot of women still feel like they are not given the same chances as men are.

The history of feminism has brought the gender forward, but there is still work to be done, glass ceilings to be broken, and true equality to be reached. When you have a group of women gender is not typically an issue unless they are together discussing gender gaps, liberal feminism, or other women related issues. But, when women are coupled with men it's hard for the women gender issue not to come up. Women and men live together without complications based on gender, but when men and women work together gender regularly becomes an issue. Women aren't paid at the same level, they don't get promoted as easily, and they aren't part of the "boys club" that often exists in corporate America.

While you don't see them picketing, women gender issues are still very much alive. Feminism has changed a lot, but the history of feminism has coupled with liberalism to form a new sort of woman who believes in herself and her gender as a whole. Liberal feminism is a quieter type of feminism that isn't so much visible, but gives each individual a sense of security in being a woman, and not being a lesser gender. For women gender issues remain important because things aren't equal, but liberal feminism is slowly changing the way things are done. Liberal feminism is quickly winning the voices and minds of many women so that gender issues should soon be a thing of the past if things continue this way.

The new face of feminism is influencing positive changes for women because it's not such an in your face way of representing women. Liberal feminism is different because it focuses on equality for women achieved through legal means, and is not forcing women and gender issues on society. This philosophy is more about achieving true equality. While the new liberal feminists are fairly conservative, their outcries are often about heated issues such as legalizing gay marriages, polygamy, polyamory, pro-choice for women seeking abortion, and strong opinions about government deciding what type of relationships should be legally recognized. No, most of these women aren't involved in radical demonstrations, but rather they make the equality they seek an individual mission first and foremost and then spread their philosophy onto other women.

For men and women gender gaps and tensions still pose a problem from time to time. Awareness is what is all about, women need to let employers, spouses, friends, and family know that they expect the same thing that men do. It's amazing what you can get just by asking. If you don't make people aware of the way we are often treated as women gender issues will continue well into the future. Unfortunately, many men and women truly are oblivious to the differences between the way men and women are treated, and that is why the history of feminism exists at all, to give us a voice to change the future for the better, so that our sisters of the future never have to know this type of discrimination.