Hillary Clinton recently declared at a conference in the Middle East that “authoritarianism often picks on women,” asserting that “women’s equality is the unfinished business of the 21st century” and that every nation performs better when women have full opportunities to make their own decisions. These statements reflect her ongoing global advocacy for gender equality, echoing themes from her historic speeches and reports highlighting regressions in women’s rights tied to autocratic trends. Yet the irony is stark, as Clinton promotes these ideals abroad while the vibrancy and quality of life in Western societies have greatly diminished since the era of “women’s liberation,” with studies confirming a paradox where women’s reported happiness has declined both absolutely and relative to men’s despite greater freedoms and opportunities.

In the West, the push for women’s liberation since the 1960s and 1970s has coincided with falling female life satisfaction, rising pressures from dual workloads, shifting family structures, and other societal changes that have left many women less content than previous generations. Politicians like Clinton have achieved what they tout as success in this framework, rising to power in a system critics argue favors elite insiders, yet her own political victories often relied on mechanisms perceived as rigged, including elections bolstered by questionable votes and external influences that undermined fair outcomes. This disconnect highlights how the feminist agenda, while promising empowerment, has contributed to broader cultural declines in family stability, personal fulfillment, and societal cohesion.

It’s truly sad to witness how delusional this aging figure remains, clinging to narratives of progress amid evident setbacks. Clinton has never grasped reality clearly, a blindness traceable to her formative years at Wellesley College, where she immersed herself in radical ideologies through her senior thesis on Saul Alinsky, internalizing methods and mindsets that distanced her from traditional American values and practical truths about human flourishing. Her persistent advocacy ignores the tangible costs paid by everyday women and families in the name of liberation.