I don't think he's blaming women or equal rights in the first paragraph. I think he's, at worst, saying excessive greed and unethical behavior can hide within an otherwise fair environment.

Which I do buy, I had a friend who was a strong feminist, vegetarian, animal rights person and proud objectivist. To me, her patronizing attitude towards the lower classes and strident pro-business statements seemed like cognitive dissonance with her other arguments, but she was fine with it.