Modern feminism promised liberation. What it delivered, especially to Gen Z, is a profound sense of alienation for both sexes. The latest data from Australia and the UK paints a bleak picture: young women are more feminist than ever, yet increasingly pessimistic about relationships and life. Young men, sensing hostility, are retreating into traditionalism, cynicism, or outright disengagement. The result is not empowerment — it is mutual demoralisation.
For Young Women: Independence Without Fulfilment
The Spectator Australia piece rightly highlights the ideological capture. Gen Z women in Australia are far more likely to identify as feminists (53% vs 32% of men). They've absorbed the message that society is rigged against them, that men are agents of patriarchy, and that traditional roles are oppressive.
The consequences are measurable:
Only 35% of women under 25 hold a positive view of men; for the youngest cohort, it drops to 11%.
74% of Gen Z women say they'd struggle to date someone with differing views on social justice.
Despite academic and career gains, many report rising pessimism, anxiety, and loneliness.
Feminism told them they could "have it all" — high-powered careers, casual sex without consequences, delayed marriage and children. Reality delivered burnout, a shrinking dating pool, and the quiet realisation that career success doesn't replace companionship or family. Declining female happiness since the 1970s (well-documented in surveys like the General Social Survey) suggests the script isn't working.
Young women are left suspicious of men, competitive with each other, and often trapped in a worldview where facts about biology, pair-bonding, or differing preferences are dismissed as "internalised misogyny." The demoralisation is emotional: high expectations colliding with loneliness.
For Young Men: Marginalisation and Retreat
The other side of the coin is equally damaging. As feminism frames masculinity itself as problematic — "toxic" by default — young men absorb the message that their natural traits (stoicism, risk-taking, competitiveness, protectiveness) are flaws to be fixed.
Surveys show Gen Z men reacting:
57% believe efforts to promote women's equality have gone too far and now discriminate against men.
Growing numbers are embracing more traditional gender views as a counterbalance.
Many are checking out: lower university attendance, delayed milestones, rising rates of video game addiction, and withdrawal from dating altogether.
Advancement while treating male struggles (suicide, education gaps, workplace deaths, custody bias) regarded as irrelevant or self-inflicted. Positive masculinity is pathologised. The message is clear: your instincts are dangerous; suppress them or be cancelled.
The result? Young men become demoralised, resentful, or apathetic. Many simply opt out of a society that seems to view them as the problem. This isn't healthy traditionalism — it's defensive withdrawal.
The Shared Tragedy: A Gender Cold War
The real casualty is the relationship between the sexes. Feminism didn't just critique patriarchy; in its modern form, it often frames normal male-female dynamics as oppression. This creates:
Shrinking dating markets defined by political litmus tests.
Mutual distrust: women primed to see danger, men primed to see hostility.
Demographic consequences: falling birth rates, delayed families, and societal atomisation.
Both sides lose. Women find independence hollow when paired with loneliness. Men find purpose undermined when their contributions are reframed as privilege or toxicity. The ideological subversion Yuri Bezmenov warned about — demoralising a generation through education and culture — has succeeded brilliantly at dividing the young.
A Better Path
Neither sex benefits from perpetual grievance. Young women thrive when they can pursue ambition without being taught to hate half the population. Young men thrive when their energy and protective instincts are channelled positively rather than shamed.
The data from Australia and beyond shows the experiment is failing. Record female education and workforce participation haven't produced happier, more fulfilled generations — they've produced polarisation. Real progress means rejecting zero-sum gender warfare and rediscovering complementarity: men and women as partners, not adversaries.
Feminism's biggest victims may not be the "patriarchy" it set out to dismantle, but the young men and women it claimed to liberate. The sooner both recognise this, the sooner they can rebuild trust, families, and shared purpose.
https://www.spectator.com.au/2026/05/how-feminism-demoralises-young-women/