Why did Hillary Clinton give her 1995 Beijing speech, and what was life like for women at that time? Were they facing discrimination and inequality? What did Hillary advocate for in the speech? What was the influence of the speech, and how did women's lives change afterward?

Hillary Clinton gave this speech for the occasion of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. Clinton's speech advocated unity and communication between all nations, particularly the women in these nations. Her purpose was not only to advocate a coming together of women but also to highlight the important ways women serve the world today and to argue that they need unhindered access to all the things that can improve quality of life: education, governmental involvement, employment, medical care, and all basic human necessities. Her main points are that human rights should be women's rights; she explains that, for most of history, the plight of women has been ignored because their voices have not been heard or because they have been invalidated by others in power. She mentions many ways women have been silenced—through, for example, the violence of rape, domestic abuse, genital mutilation, and many other things. Although women are gaining respect in some areas of the world, Clinton argues that this oppression continues and is still rampant in many places.
Clinton's argument centers around the fact that if women continue to be denied these rights, families, society, and the world as a whole cannot fully flourish. Her words are a call to action for society to hearken to the needs and vital powers of women as a whole. Her expected outcome is that, with the aid of her drawing attention to this problem, women will gradually receive the voice and power that they deserve.