Final answer:
Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own' influenced modern feminist thought significantly, bringing attention to the societal barriers women faced. While Woolf focused on economic and creative freedom, today's feminism encompasses a broader spectrum that includes intersectionality and global issues, yet the essence of Woolf's advocacy is still pertinent.
Step-by-step explanation:
Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own is a seminal work in feminist literature, emphasizing the need for women to have financial independence and personal space to create. Woolf's ideals greatly influenced modern feminist thought, highlighting the countless barriers that prevented women from pursuing artistic and intellectual endeavors. In Woolf's time, women were often distracted from society's expectations to focus on motherly and household duties, while feminism today continues to fight such patriarchal limitations but also tackles a wide array of issues, including gender identity, intersectionality, and global women's rights.
Since Woolf's era, feminism has undergone various waves, introducing different concerns and methods. Whereas Woolf spoke of fictitious Shakespeare's sister to demonstrate inequities in opportunity, today's feminism may focus on amplifying actual voices from a diverse range of backgrounds, advocating for not only equality but also equity. The progress can partly be gauged by the increasing presence of women in areas once dominated by men, such as literature, politics, and STEM fields, but the core issues of economic independence and social freedom that Woolf championed remain central today.