[quote=idlehands]Of course, a fantasy world is easier to make up whatever you want, but people and cultures are complex and sometimes contradictory. I did an RP once set in the height of the Black Plague in Germany. It was pretty damn gritty and awful. Society breaks down and people prey on the weak, superstitions run wild and lead to mass murders. This was probably the closest to anarchy that occurred in the Middle Ages.While life was certainly rough up until modern era and there was a reason for the gender roles seen as 'traditional' but like everything human, it is complex and not always what it appears. Certainly the Vikings raiding the coast of England and Ireland are a good example of barbaric hordes. They looted and burned, they took slaves and raped women. But on the home front a woman in pagan Viking society had a significant among of control over herself. Divorce was common and though it tended to favor men when it came to adultery, a woman could divorce her husband if they just did not get along. If he was caught hitting her in public, he would face a fine or even a challenge from the men of her family. So it was illegal for a man to abuse his wife and yet it was seen as perfectly fine for the same man to go rape an Irish woman during a raid or even kill his own slaves without a blink of an eye from the legal system. Anyway, that's enough from me about that. I could dig up examples all night.[/quote]

On the bright side they had really good boats. 

But yea, in practice that seems pretty double standard but honestly that just looks like a case of "You're a viking women, you will be treated well. But you're not a Viking women... rape!".
Essentially they care about their own and treat their own well, but anyone outside is suspect to anything. It is still a double standard, but it at least isn't one within their own community.

[quote=Kestrel]I don't see why people can't write feminist characters or activists in general. It'd be wrong to push a social agenda onto other players, sure, but if the setting allows it what's the problem? It's just another character. Yours even, so that's your idea. Likewise, for GM'ing, it'd be fine to boot up a roleplay about activists, the adversity they meet and their success and/or failure. I mean why not? Just don't force other people's characters to adhere by your ideals and you're all good.[/quote]

Obviously in an RP made around activism an outright feminist would fit in.
But activism probably wouldn't be an appealing topic to most people, I can only see that facing a very niche target.
A target that get's even more niche because to avoid players all wandering off on their own protests they'd all have to be focused on the same charity or cause.

While in a non-feminist/activist roleplay, someone going around saying "These women are being victimized by sexism!" would just get really annoying when everyone else is trying to be enjoying a plot or story.
For another example, imagine you're doing some sort of Avatar Last Airbender RP and atm the Fire Nation is invading the Water Nation. While the rest of the players may be for the invasion, or focused on fending them off you got this one player running around going "Think about the seals! Baby seals are in danger!". It just doesn't mix well with the plot, theme or the other characters.