It's my impression that in general there's rather more equality between the sexes in the younger generation than there was in mine, so maybe things are improving there too.
I'd be interested to hear about any recent experiences people have of this situation.

The last time I was dating was the early 1990s, and, I did occasionally ask guys out, but I got some weird reactions from them, even when they did actually want to go out with me.
Maybe it was the sheer surprise, because not many women did ask guys out back then, but I wonder if there's an element of the old classic "what kind of girl are you?" routine, where women who admit they actually want things like sex are rated lower on the scale of desirability than women who have to be persuaded.