Culture

When Will Feminism Be “Enough”? 

Women are outperforming men on every metric in 2026, and the loudest voices in feminism still can't tell you what winning looks like.

By Savanna Stone4 min read
Pexels/Katia Miasoed

Throughout many of my debates with feminists, I've asked a simple question: “When will you stop fighting? What is going to be good enough for you?” Most of them can't give me an answer. It's not because the question is confusing or unfair, but because they can't admit the flaws of their own movement.

Women are outperforming men on every metric right now: college enrollment, graduate degrees, consumer spending power, social mobility. Yet we still see major influencers like Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy claiming women are oppressed and will never be as successful as men, while signing a $125 million, three-year deal with SiriusXM. At a certain point, you have to ask: do these women actually want to be oppressed? 

At a certain point, you have to ask: do these women actually want to be oppressed? 

I'm a social media influencer, and I'm honest enough to admit that I would not be as successful if I were a man. In fact, I've seen men put out very similar messages to mine, but attractive women will always be at an advantage when it comes to media and entertainment. Anyone who denies this is clinging to a victim mentality that has become more valuable than the truth. 

The Pay Gap That Won’t Die

Feminists still cite the “gender pay gap” as proof of systemic oppression, despite the fact that it has been debunked so many times I genuinely can't believe it's still used as an argument. The raw earnings gap between men and women is not evidence of discrimination. Women disproportionately choose careers in teaching, nursing, social work, and hospitality—fields that pay less than engineering, finance, or skilled trades. When you compare men and women in the same role, with the same experience, working the same hours, the gap virtually disappears. This disparity in pay between men and women is not because they're women, but because the jobs women choose are generally lower paying. 

But admitting that would undermine one of feminism’s last remaining grievances, so the myth persists.

The Happiness Paradox

If feminism delivered what it promised, women should be thriving. Instead, the opposite has happened. Despite having more freedom, choice, and opportunity than any generation of women in history, women today are unhappier than ever. Researchers call it the “paradox of declining female happiness,” and it tracks neatly with the paradox of choice, which argues that an overabundance of options leads to anxiety and decision paralysis. Our current culture floods us with the idea that having an endless pool of choices is sexy and cool, but it's only making us more anxious. 

Ironically, married moms in America are the happiest demographic, as cited by a 2025 report.

But the data only gets more inconvenient for feminists from here.

When You Can’t Even Define “Woman”

Feminism promised to elevate womanhood. Instead, it erased it. In their effort to "smash the patriarchy" feminists dismantled the very category they claimed to be fighting for.

In their effort to "smash the patriarchy" feminists dismantled the very category they claimed to be fighting for.

Today, even the most “educated” scholars in our society can't clearly define what a woman is. Merriam Webster updated their definition of woman to “having a gender identity that is opposite of male.” The Cambridge Dictionary updated their definition to "an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”

And the consequences are tangible: biological women are being beaten by male competitors in their own sports and competitions. Both Caitlyn Jenner and Dylan Mulvaney have been named “Woman of the Year” by major publications. When you “smash the patriarchy,” you also invite chaos and perversion into society. 

The Birth Rate Crisis

The rise of radical individualism alongside feminism has devastated the institutions that hold society together. Traditionally, men's duty to society was to protect women and children. Women’s duty was to bear and care for children. But feminism erased women from any sense of social obligation, replacing duty with the singular pursuit of personal “happiness,” and then placed that happiness on a pedestal above everything else, including the continuation of civilization itself. Based on current U.S. birth rates, deaths are projected to outpace births by 2030. If the trend continues, we are on a trajectory toward demographic collapse within the next few centuries. 

The Anti-Suffragettes Were Right

The anti-suffragettes of the 19th century—women who opposed the passage of the 19th amendment—predicted nearly every crisis I've just described. They predicted the birth rates dropping from an average of 5 children in 1870 to just 2 children by 1940. They predicted the demonization and domination of men. They were also right about what the institution of marriage and family would look like. In 1900, the rate of births outside of marriage was only 4%. By 2010, that number reached 41%.

Most women were already satisfied, even in 1897.

Even Susan B. Anthony, arguably the most well-known suffragette in history, framed the movement as the result of persistent activism by a committed minority. Many of the foundational rights—property, education, social influence—were already in place by that point, and most women were satisfied, even in 1897.

So what, exactly, was feminism still fighting for?

Feminism’s Broken Promise

Many feminists today argue that the movement must continue because women and children are still endangered by violent men. But they refuse to admit that their own movement made this worse. Feminism did not keep its promise to protect women and children. In fact, children are in more danger now than before the movement gained full cultural dominance.

According to the National Incidence Study, the rate of overall endangerment standard maltreatment for children living with two married biological parents is about 16 per 1,000. The rate for children in all other circumstances is more than 52 per 1,000; the worst cases occurring in one biological parent cohabitating with an unmarried partner. In the U.S., women account for a slight majority of child maltreatment perpetrators—typically around 53% to 56%, compared to roughly 42% to 46% for men. Additionally, children from fatherless homes represent 90% of homeless kids, 85% of kids with behavioral disorders, 70% of kids in juvenile facilities, and 75% of kids in adolescent substance abuse treatment centers. 

Feminism told women they didn’t need men and their children paid the price.

The Uncomfortable Truth

After a century of organized feminism, women are three times more likely than men to have mental health problems. Children are more at risk for maltreatment than ever. Divorce rates are higher than ever. Birth rates are dropping so significantly that we're likely to go extinct in the next 300-1,000 years. And we can no longer even define the word "woman."

After a century of organized feminism, women are three times more likely than men to have mental health problems.

When you destroy the patriarchy—the very system that has been put in place to protect you—chaos and perversion takes hold. Feminism has ultimately become a vehicle for policies that have harmed the very women and families it claims to champion.

So I'll ask the question again: Will feminists ever admit that their movement made things worse for women? Or will they keep marching, no matter how much wreckage they leave behind?