In our second post to mark the 100th International Women’s Day – check out this post from guest blogger Lena Chen on  the progress that has been made but more importantly the challenges we face globally in the fight for gender equality.

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women Day, a day of celebration for the strides that have been made toward gender equality. Indeed, the world today is a much more equal place than it was a century ago, but we should also use today’s holiday as an occasion to remind ourselves of the many struggles that lay ahead.

That’s why I started the Feminist Portrait Project (also known as Feminist Coming Out Day), an event that celebrates women’s equality while emphasizing the need to keep on fighting to end inequality in all its forms. In this day and age, it’s easy to point to the freedom that women enjoy in the Western world and consider the job done. But just because women are now considered the legal equals of men does not mean that the struggle for gender equality is over.

In many nations around the world, girls are still sold off as child-brides, women are considered the property of their husbands, and coming out as a gay person can carry a death sentence. Even within American borders, women still have to deal with sexual harassment, rape, and partner violence. And even when women are not being physically assaulted, the emotional assault on female bodies — through sexual objectification and the imposition of an unrealistic beauty ideal — robs us of our self-worth.

Ending gender-based oppression is a struggle that benefits all people. It means that heterosexual relationships are no longer considered what’s “normal”. It means that women aren’t dismissed as poorly qualified to take on traditionally masculine roles. It means that men aren’t put down for wanting to stay at home to raise children. It means that no one has to operate under a rigid set of rules that dictate who can do what. It means that we protect transgender people from discrimination for their non-normative gender identities.

Feminism is not about improving the lives of women at the cost of men or improving the lives of some women over others. It is not about being satisfied with female CEOs when women of color are making far less than their white counterparts. It is not about privileging female survivors of rape over male ones. And it is not about celebrating victories without acknowledging the vast amount of work to be done. It is demanding social justice across the board.

This is a battle that anyone and everyone can support. What does a feminist look like to you?