It's still the case that women in general are the ones who are approached, on the Internet and in real life. Maybe some women take initiative, but still most women don't. Just go to a bar and see how things go. There is still expectation of men to approach. I'm not sure if it's a bad thing, because for me I would hate to let a girl down if I didn't like her after she approached me. I prefer to be the one who is let down by a girl.

Definitely different cultures and ethnicity play a role. People are in general inclined to date from within their own races and ethnicity. There was a statistical study about that. But again, it's not a rule, especially if you're born in a multicultural country. If not, the challenges are greater due to language and cultural barriers.