April 2017 marked the five year anniversary of the Every Day sexism project.

Set up by Guardian journalist Laura Bates, the website/Twitter feed catalogues experiences of gender inequality from across the UK and world.
Thousands of testimonials have poured in in those 1500+ days, from work, home, and entertainment environments, from people shocked and scared by their experiences.

Some view it as a much-needed project casting a light on some of the darker and unwanted attitudes that still exist in the 21st Century. Others view it with little interest, or see it as an overreaction to a world which seems much more self-aware than ever before.

No matter which end of the spectrum you sit on every day sexism, one would be hard-pressed to deny that we treat men and women differently in some spheres of life. Would, for example, this Express ‘story’ on BBC weather reporter Carol Kirkwood’s appearance ever be applied to men?
Or the infamous Daily Mail ‘Legs-It’ front page analysing ‘those pins’ of the leaders of England and Scotland?

There have been at least two incidents in the past month where men have treated women equally – one involved an apparent playful threat of violence, and one directly and brutally dished it out. The former was David Moyes’ off-camera follow-up to BBC reporter Vicki Sparks, stating that she might ‘get a slap’ if she interviewed him in the same tone in future.
The FA has since fined the former Sunderland boss over the comments.

The latter occurred during the Battle of Berkeley in California, where a female protester was struck by a man as left and right-wing protesters clashed.

Opinions on this largely depended on which side of the political spectrum you support.
These differences present a problem, but also an opportunity.
Gaps have appeared in the market for jobs which are traditionally viewed as the preserve of men or women, but are now regarded as ‘fair game’ for either, or actively encouraged.

Take companies such as Van Girls, the brainchild of entrepreneur Emma Lanman.
The North London-based business does what it says on the tin – or the side of the vehicle – and is simply a removal firm run by women.

Set up in 2011 as ‘a reliable alternative to the traditional man and van service’, the company administers domestic and commercial moves, trade fair, shop pick-ups, and any other jobs where possessions need to be moved from A to B.

Why would such a company need to exist? Lanman told The Mover: “Some of our customers have been made to feel vulnerable or uncomfortable in the past or feel that the movers have been inconsiderate.

“We never suggest that we would be more careful than men, but there does seem to be a perception that girls would handle things more carefully.”

The jokes about female drivers will always persist, but are largely an illusion; don’t forget that it’s only a 2012 EU legal ruling that forced insurers to charge men and women equal prices, despite females being far safer on the roads than their male counterparts.
That might be why the number of firms, factories, industries and companies that are using female employees, are rapidly growing. Facebook groups such as ‘female truck drivers of NZ’ and ‘Women Tow Truck Drivers’ are now fairly commonplace.

In addition, women’s far superior driving statistics allied to concerns over safety and security have led to a number of female-only Uber clones arriving across the globe.
Shebah, based in Australia, was developed by single mother George McEncroe who was concerned about her daughter’s safety on the way home late at night, especially in light of some taxi users’ experiences.

Tales of inappropriate questioning, touching, and even refusing to allow them from the car were commonplace, and worrying. In the UK, social enterprises such as Pink Ladies allow their female membership to travel with peace of mind. Van Girls’ employees include football, rugby and hockey players; women from the RAF, Metropolitan Police, the ambulance service, and fire brigade.

These are, in themselves, interesting career choices and ones that are becoming less delineated along gender lines; in this recent piece from the Darlington and Stockton Times, the fact that as many girls as boys have been selected from 350 applicants to train with the county’s fire and rescue service is barely highlighted.

Let us also not forget that in February Cressida Dick became Scotland Yard’s first ever female police commissioner. Even ancient skills such as farriery (caring for the hooves of a horse), which require a high level of physical demand, are becoming more popular for females.

Female sport is certainly becoming more prominent. We’re all aware of Serena Williams’ brilliance on the tennis court – but there surely can’t be many champions of any sport who’ve won one of its biggest prizes while ten weeks pregnant.

Some of the biggest stars in combat sports are female; Ronda Rousey’s demise in UFC is well-publicised, while Irish boxer Katie Taylor is gaining prominent spots on the bills of Anthony Joshua and Tony Bellew – how long will it be before she’s the headliner? As for more scientific and senior roles, there still remains an imbalance.

There are far fewer female founders than males, and women tend to find sponsorship and investment more difficult to obtain. Only around five per cent of leadership positions in the tech industry are held by women.

Initiatives such as the Peterborough Stem Festival are keen to encourage more females to participate and find out exactly how rewarding a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics can be. That, in itself, is half the battle; educating females about the options that are available to them in the first place.

There is now no reason why any company can’t be created and completely run by any person or people, of any creeds, colours and descriptions.

Those jobs and lives which were once the preserve of ‘certain types’ are now entirely possible, and should be encouraged, for everyone. Building a computer, app or project through the technology conferred by Raspberry Pi; buying or borrowing vehicles through Lease Van, or trading them through Dealer Auction; building a website through Wix or Weebly; or creating a business based on anything from PR to health and fitness to construction.

These can each form the backbone of a company, whether you’re old, young, gay, straight, black, white, male – or female. And ultimately, surely at least one part of feminism is giving women the choice to do what they want in life. If they wish to wear pink or fight in a cage or become scientists or lawyers – or all four – then that should surely be their prerogative.

It’s why women such as Kim Kardashian and Katie Price are, bizarrely, both feminist heroes and villains: two strong-minded women who have achieved in business and social circles, while also pandering to the most obvious gender stereotypes.

In the end, encouraging people to do what they want, and not care about people’s preconceptions – is surely the best step forward.