“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute”, wrote author and critic Rebecca West – a quotation that highlights the malleable nature of the movement as much as it does its importance. What is feminism? What makes one a feminist? And if equality between the sexes is its ultimate goal, then what is its definition of equality?

This last question is one that appears in our latest ethical debate, perhaps understandably given the subject matter. In Equality and Difference, former Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett, ResPublica director Phillip Blond and Unilever's Social Impact Vice President Marcela Manubens examine the consequences of an entirely equal society, and ask whether absolute equality in all aspects of working life is a desirable proposition. This would mean equal representation for all professions, with as many female football coaches as male nurses – is this a feminist ambition, or the result of a patriarchal model of feminism that ignores essential differences?