Some thoughts...
From what I've read on this, the pay gap in the US is a myth.
I read the same thing about the German pay gap. When all things which overall tend to matter were accounted for, the pay gap was minimal. At least according to an article in the German news magazine Focus.
The supposed pay gap never should be accepted as presented in various media. Too strong and consistent is the history of either ignorance or neglect of statistical issues.
That said, I think there is still a place for feminism even in the Western world. To treat the female sex as something lesser hasn't vanished off this earth. As I posted in your other recent feminism-thread, the economic life definitely still knows sexism, even if the pay gap is a myth. Because instead of just being paid less for being female, women may simply not advance to the positions paid better. Which I think is still a big problem.
One factor I already noted in the other thread. Which is that the universal competition in the business-world makes sexism an attractive tool to at least stay ahead of the females. However, it is nut just males belittling females, it can also be more subtle and less conscious. What I mean here is the issue of a general "male culture". I read an article which claimed that successful business women simply had to learn to act like males. One example I remember was the gesture of putting your hand on another man's shoulder to symbolize dominance. That apparently is something females usually don't do. But gestures like that are also apparently part of asserting yourself among your colleagues.
I am very torn on quotas.
In themselves, they IMO clearly are wrong. It is the same basic problem I already decried about affirmative action. Injustice is supposed to be countered by statistical counter-injustice. Which is IMO clearly an ridiculous approach. You can not reestablish justice by a quota. That just means introducing further different injustice to have a prettier picture which seems more right. But since it is about actual justice and not aesthetics resembling ones idea of justice, the end doesn't justify the means. Because only if the means themselves actually mean actual more justice on the ground is the end also actually more just. But that can not be guaranteed in the slightest.
On the other hand, if as it is planned in Germany a quota lifts more women into management the male culture and sexism can perhaps be severely diminished by the mere presence of those women. Which could considerably speed up the process of female business emancipation.
So in a nutshell: Quotas are not just, but they can have desirable effects regardless, even long-term effects which benefit justice.
However, the whole thing seems to solve itself. It just needs time.
So the final question is: Do we want to be patient or do we want to speed things up by making use of a very problematic tool? I tend toward patience.
But quotas or no quotas, I am certain we continue to need females who raise awareness of sexism in the work place. Regarding sexism on the street, in our private lives or general sexist cultural images.. I don't think we need feminists for that one anymore. Sure women have to invest more time in their looks etcetera That can be viewed as a problem. But I think that is way better approached as the general problem of how societies pressure people to confirm with social expectation. I think that is more an issue of general openness and tolerance and less of male oppression. Of just being a sorta enlightened and decent human being. Not one who is more or less obsessed with finding ways to seem better / have others seem worse. And that is a whole different nut to crack than what we understand under sexism.
