When I was a young woman (early '80s), modern feminism was on the ascendency. We were strong, we were invincible, we could look forward to careers, we were competing with men in the workplace.

Above all – and this was critically important – we insisted on being regarded for our brains, not our bodies. Gone were the days when women were viewed as irrational, emotional creatures unable to withstand the stresses of the workplace. We had transcended our lady parts and emerged as purely intellectual creatures.

Or so the theory went.

In practice, of course, things didn't go quite that smoothly. Those women who truly were career-minded settled into their vocations and clawed their way to the top. Those who were less competent and presumably unable to compete with men in their chosen fields became radical feminists raging against the unfairness of the patriarchy.