Women snub feminism by rallying behind pro-family NFL star

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker sparked outrage among feminists with his recent commencement address at Benedictine College, a Catholic school in Kansas.

What did Butker say?

Butker’s remarks were unapologetically pro-family. He referred to Pride month as a “deadly sin” and criticized “diversity” initiatives. He also slammed the ideal of putting off motherhood to advance a career and urged female graduates to find their calling as homemakers as first priority:

I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.

I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.

Reception to Butker’s speech

Female graduates loudly cheered these remarks by Butker, but the NFL quickly distanced itself from the athlete. Mainstream media launched a maelstrom of criticism and immediately branded Butker a “sexist.”

Reports nonetheless suggest that Butker continues to strike a chord with many women. According to Fox News, women across social media are defending Butker’s remarks and urging fellow females to find fulfillment as wives and mothers. Outkick reported Friday that after the commencement speech, the NFL completely sold out of women’s jerseys featuring Butker’s name.

Feminism breeds unhappy women

These reports are in line with research showing that women’s happiness has plummeted as the feminism movement has advanced.

In the 1970s, when women were less likely to attend college, less participatory in the workforce, and more likely to be homemakers, women reported a significantly higher sense of well-being and were happier than men.

Today, however, when women earn at least as much as their husbands in nearly half of marriages and have a higher rate of attending college than men, women report being less happy than men.

‘Liberated’ women less likely to marry, have children

Other findings may explain the unhappiness among today’s women. Research has found that marriage is the largest differentiator of happiness, accounting for a 30% difference between people who are happy and those who are not. 

Feminist ideals have contributed to a steep decline in marriage. Business Insider says declining birth and marriage rates are being driven by women who are choosing careers over children, which it claims is “a sign of economic progress, signaling a rise in individualism and women's autonomy.”

Statista confirms that women no longer feel marriage is important because they have “gained economic power”:

The general increase of people who are still single by 40 suggests that there has been a shift in sentiments on the importance of marriage. The trend is likely due to a wide variety and combination of factors, whether that’s a loosening of stigma around being single, or as Belinda Luscombe of Time Magazine explains, due to economic reasons, such as the fact that since women have “gained economic power, they needed to rely less on men to provide”, or conversely, because many men say they feel they need a level of financial stability to be ready for marriage.

According to data from Pew Research, Millennial women are four times more likely than those in the Silent Generation (who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II) to have a bachelor’s degree — and the more educated a woman becomes, the more likely she is to postpone having children or not have them at all.