What is today’s feminism really offering women?

There’s a saying in the United States: “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” – in other words, the loudest voice gets the attention. In today’s culture, particularly around modern womanhood, it can feel as though the loudest narratives are also shaping the direction of the conversation. But are all these impassioned voices truly offering women something wise and life-giving? 

Scripture warns that “there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Not every confident message leads to a healthy destination. As Christian women, we are called to “take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), weighing what we hear against God’s truth, so that we are not subtly led away from His good design for our lives.

This requires discernment. It means sharpening our minds through scripture, staying rooted in prayer and remaining connected to faithful Christian community. It also means remembering that the strongest voices in a crowd are not always the wisest – and that cultural confidence is not the same as godly wisdom.

The worldview of a ‘feminist-in-progress’

We live in a world of shiny things and catchy statements, with no shortage of successful women making their lived experiences heard. This in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but what are they actually saying? Is it edifying? Does it bring humanity together more than it tears us apart? Self-described “feminist-in-progress” Jameela Jamil, is a case in point. The striking, articulate actress, best known as the first female, solo presenter on The Official Chart show on BBC Radio 1, and for roles alongside US heavy hitters like Kristen Bell, Keanu Reeves and Kate Hudson, she churns the clickbait tidal waters of social media with controversial statements on women’s issues – a subject that obviously holds resonance for her. 

Recently on the Think Twice show podcast, Jamil expounded on differences between the sexes: “God knows we have taken every measure to make women just obey. And they just keep, like the Terminator, getting back up and fighting again and again and again. If anything, patriarchy has conditioned men to be more submissive.” She followed her statement with the example of men signing up for the military more than women, suggesting this makes them more apt to be disciplined, while women, having been subject for centuries to harsh controlling societal circumstances, refuse to be subjugated. Thousands of comments following the clip celebrate Jamil’s bold stance, despite her weak argument. Men go to battle more often not because they’re especially submissive, but because they are built to defend and protect. Women, made vulnerable by nature of stature, menstruation and pregnancy, tend to recoil from violent conditions. One might argue, but for the grace of God, neither gender is particularly well suited toward submission. This is the Genesis 3 curse with which both sexes perpetually contend. 

Their sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll wares sound suspiciously similar to the solutions men have been sold for their satisfaction for decades now

I would guess being born of two cultures with patterns of female oppression has understandably led Jamil, the London-born child of Pakistani and Indian parents, to take aim at broken patriarchal systems (a 2026 World Population Review study ranked both India and Pakistan in the top 15 most dangerous countries for women). In iPaper, the actress stated, “I don’t give a s**t about marriage, and I don’t want children.” Deeper reflection on Jamil’s statements suggest the fourth wave of feminism has devolved, post- #metoo – to ‘me-foremost’, and she isn’t alone. 

A surge in selfishness

Many women speaking into the cultural vortex are similar to Jamil – an ethnically diverse lot, boasting successful careers, with one or many partners, vehemently eschewing marriage and motherhood. Leslie Jones, alumni of America’s Saturday Night Live, was promoting her stand-up special on the Ziwe podcast when she astounded her host, stating that marriage was “legalised slavery”, and that a man expecting a woman to be a trad (traditional) wife “might as well pull out a whip and chain”. God’s desire for us to go forth and multiply isn’t only for men’s benefit, it’s for the benefit of humanity. When women recast themselves in the role of self-serving, individually minded boss-babes, have they considered the knock-on effect upon men and children? Are they perpetuating faulty cycles instead of ending them?

Seven times New York Times bestselling author, and one of the industry’s most successful comedians, Chelsea Handler was interviewed on the Angie Martinez IRL podcast, where she revealed opinions in agreement with her cohorts. “I think marriage is outdated. It’s just a really silly idea.” Later, she added, “I don’t care about marriage. I feel like that’s a very patriarchal thing anyway, like, it’s property a little bit.” They all seem to be working off a familiar script, where no one has warned that their blockbuster ends in humanity’s extinction. Handler continued with more worldly wisdom: “I’m not out seeking men. That is not my agenda in life. I’m here for women and I’m here for myself…I like travelling a lot. I like hooking up with guys. I don’t like to get too serious. I don’t want someone in my space all the time. I just am not interested in that…My whole vibe is about freedom.” Her libertine existence includes a penchant for micro-dosing drugs to enhance her life’s enjoyment. These women seem assured of what will free us to achieve lasting happiness – their sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll wares sound suspiciously similar to the solutions men have been sold for their satisfaction for decades now. Are these truly the sisterhood’s silver bullets? 

Where this approach leads

Jamil, Jones, Handler and many of the other women living la vida loca have net worths in the multiple millions of dollars. They can afford to shrug off the security of marriage and the hardships of child rearing. Not every woman is called to motherhood and matrimony, but the truth remains: if young women cease to become mothers, humanity will cease to exist, and if they don’t become wives, their children will, statistically, be much more vulnerable. 

The most vocal proponents of this brave new womanhood are upwards of their child-bearing years. Will they live out a comedic Handmaid’s Tale, employing the more mundane, youthful maidens of the femiverse as surrogates? We get it, men have dropped the ball, and, since Eden, women have paid for it. But do women fare better when cast as the main characters?  

If we are to learn anything from men’s missteps, it’s that society fares best, not when Eve is the heroine, but when the second Adam is the rightful hero. The very foundations God, in His wisdom, designed to make women (and men) fruitful, protected stewards of society remain forever in feminism’s crosshairs. This is where God’s design and the wrecking ball of feminism disastrously connect. If women slag off marriage and baby-making for jet-set lives of self-promotion and no-strings relationships, we’ll be like clanging gongs and symbols – notable, yet barren. I suggest trusting God’s way is better.